California's economic crisis is worsened by illegal immigration

For more than two decades, my columns have urged a sensible debate about federal immigration policy because of its costly impact on state services.

The United States has the world's most generous legal immigration agenda. For immigrants, California is their primary destination. And keeping our border with Mexico open allows an unlimited number of illegal aliens access to education and medical care. Finally, unlimited numbers of non-immigrant work visas bring in many foreign-born aliens, of which only a few go home.

Now, partially because of over-immigration, California has an astronomical $42 billion deficit. As a consequence, the Lodi Unified School District is sending layoff notices to teachers and will make other personnel cuts.

Stated another way, the failure of so few to pay attention to the obvious effect that immigration has on California's social services means that some of my former colleagues could soon be unemployed. Your children will suffer.

While it's hard to pinpoint exactly how much immigration costs California and Lodi Unified School District, basic math indicates that it's a bundle.

To unravel the puzzle, I'll start at the academic year 1993-1994, as far back as the California Department of Education posts demographic statistics. Then I'll compare that data and the costs associated with it to 2007-2008.

In 1993-1994, when Lodi Unified School District had 25,000 students, the majority (50.4 percent) were non-Hispanic whites. Hispanics (21 percent), Asians (19 percent) and African-Americans (1.4 percent) comprised the balance.

But today's LUSD presents an entirely different demographic portrait.

During the academic year 2007-2008, Lodi's enrollment totaled 31,600. The largest student segment is Hispanic (37 percent), followed by non-Hispanic white (29.2 percent), Asian (5.5 percent) and African-American (1 percent).

Statewide, the shift has been even more remarkable. In 1993-1994, California's K-12 enrollment was 42.3 percent non-Hispanic white, 37 percent Hispanic and 8.7 percent African-American. Today, however, Hispanics represent the largest block, 48.7 percent; non-Hispanic White, 28.5 percent; and African-American, 7.3 percent.

In summary, one thing is clear: During the last 15 years, both districtand statewide, the Hispanic demographic population has increased dramatically while all other ethnic groups have decreased.

What's less clear is how to parse the costs.

Some of the students are legal immigrants. As such, they are entitled to every learning benefit that California offers. Others are the children of illegal immigrants. These are wrongly afforded benefits because the 14th Amendment is incorrectly interpreted to mean that children born to non-citizens on U.S. soil are American citizens. And the misinterpretation is compounded by a Supreme Court decision that all children living in the U.S., even illegally, are entitled to an education.

Lodi, like all other statewide districts, has paid millions of dollars to educate the world at the expense of its own children. In addition to direct teachers costs, the district has significant overhead dedicated to educating non-English speakers.

The Multilingual/Multicultural Department has a staff of eight, as well as six liaison/interpreter/translators who specialize in serving non-English speakers.

Statewide, taxpayers spend tens of billions. According to the Department of Education, California currently has approximately 1.6 million K-12 English learners. Using the rough figure of $7,000 per pupil to educate them, the annual 2009 total bill to the taxpayers will exceed $10 billion — nearly 25 percent of the state's deficit.

For the sake of today's column, I'll accept as valid all the arguments so commonly heard in defense of multicultural education even though, as readers know, I disagree with all of them.

The most familiar include that embracing diversity is the key to a well-rounded education, that the U.S. has a moral obligation to educate all children and that everyone has the right to seek a better life.

Even if those generalities are true, how much longer should taxpayers be expected to underwrite education for the entire world?

And, assuming limits are inevitable, isn't therefore it appropriate to restrict immigration to help provide a better quality of education to our children while reducing the taxpayer's burden?

And isn't firing American teachers while continuing to provide for illegal immigrants the last straw?

To ignore my questions only ensures that California will never get out of its budget hole, and education — already collapsing — will be subject to an indefinite series of budget cuts until nothing is left except its bare bones.

I have not been politically correct for lo these 20 years. But I have been right in my insistence that immigration is one of the most expensive components in California's social structure. Disregard it at your own risk.

Joe Guzzardi recently retired from the Lodi Unified School District. Contact him at guzzjoe@yahoo.com.

Reader Feedback

Gator wrote on Feb 27, 2009 4:45 PM:

" Any and all illegals need to be deported period, the charity days of this country are over!!
I think we should be like Australia and New Zealand, If you have a skill that will benefit
the society fine and you can pass a full back ground check ok, otherwise your not welcome and will be deported on the spot. The comment was made about Asians, good call Check, out how they feel about education, I believe it will speak for itself who values it and who could care less, and who will be a burden on the system!!! And no that is not
Racism its just plain facts, also Minorities who dont care about a good education and just plain screw off in school bring those schools down and they cant compete against high achieving schools, it speaks for its self, just look around "

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