State leaders encourage Washington to examine illegal immigration and border issues in Texas
Conservative House leadership, including Representative Zedler, recently contacted President Bush regarding the fiscal and social costs of illegal immigration to the state of Texas.

The Honorable George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

Over the last few decades, illegal immigration and border issues have become more and more prevalent in Texas. The Migration Policy Institute estimates that 1.2 million illegal aliens are living in Texas. This is an increase of 500,000 or 71 %, since 1996 and an increase of 843,000 or 236 %, since 1992.

The vast number of undocumented aliens is costing our great state millions of dollars that should be spent instead on Texas children, healthcare and security. Texas border communities spend about $108 million every year on illegal immigrants, according to a study by the U.S.-Mexico Border Counties Coalition.

Because they typically have low incomes and little health insurance coverage, undocumented migrants and indigent residents of border communities are treated for free, creating a serious strain on public resources. According to the Houston Institute for Culture, the University of Texas Health Science Center's Texas-Mexico Border Health Service Project serves 3,000 to 4,000 indigent patients per year; and, in Harris County, illegal aliens account for 23 % of the patients, costing $330 million over the last three years.

Texas' education system is also strained due to undocumented immigrants. Although it is impossible for the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to truly count the number of illegal immigrant children, a report issued by the Federation for American Immigration Reform claims Texas spends $1.03 billion annually to educate school-age children who are illegally in the country. Texas also spends many extra dollars teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) students. For the 2001-2002 school year, TEA identified over 600,000 non-English speaking students in the Texas education system. According to the Intercultural Development Research Association, the cost of bilingual education is approximately 25 to 34 % above the cost of regular classroom instruction.

Although a study released by the Texas Public Policy Foundation found that approximately 80 % of truck and rail traffic between the United States and Mexico travels through Texas ports of entry, Texas has received 1/34th what New Mexico has received for border infrastructure improvements. Texas is spending much more of its own money on border infrastructure.
A recent Texas Poll shows the illegal immigration issue is taking hold in Texas, with 61% of the respondents saying the federal government is not doing enough to stop the flow.

We, as State legislators, urge you to focus on Texas and join our struggle as we look for effective immigration reform. These are issues that are affecting every Texan.