The literature dealing with illegal immigrants is filled with contradiction and conflicting accounts of the costs of illegal immigrants on U.S. taxpayers. The situation and perspective seems to be one in which independent states suffer to disproportionate degrees from the cost burdens of illegal immigrants. However, when it comes to incarcerated illegal immigrants, the states with the largest illegal immigrant populations (California, Texas, Florida, and New York) have sued the federal government for its inability to effectively police U.S. borders in an effort to recoup costs for incarcerating illegal immigrants. For the Immigration and Nationalization Service (INS), removing illegal aliens from the U.S. remains a top priority because of state animosity and the significant numbers of illegal immigrants in the prison system “The INS estimates that approximately 221,000 foreign-born residents are currently incarcerated in Federal, state, or local facilities. Nearly two-thirds entered the country without inspection. An additional 32.5 percent are legal immigrants who have committed a crime, while 2.5 percent are aliens who overstayed their visas” (Cronin, 1999, 2).
States with heavy populations of illegal immigrants in jail have sued the federal government for recuperation of the billions of dollars they claim they lose in taxes because of the costs associated with illegal immigrants. Anti-immigration supporters in these states like California and Texas claim that the federal government either needs to police America’s borders more effectively or make reparations for the costs of incarcerating deportable aliens. The INS has determined that “51,000 such prisoners in California, Florida, Texas, New York, Illinois, Arizona, and New Jersey…California has estimated it costs $395 million to jail such deportable aliens; Texas, $57 million; Arizona, $95 million; and Florida, $35 million” (Specht, 1994, 2).
The INS and th...