ILLEGAL ALIENS
FAIR Estimate - FAIR’s estimate of the state’s illegal alien population as of 2007 is about 775,000 persons. This is part of an overall estimate of the U.S. illegal alien population of about 13 million persons.
INS/DHS Estimate - The INS (now dissolved into the Dept. of Homeland Security) estimated in February 2003 that the resident illegal population in Illinois was 432,000 as of January 2000. This number was 142,000 higher than the INS' 1996 estimate. In Novemeber of 2006, DHS updated teh estimate of thestate's illegal alien population to 520,000. The most recent estimate by DHS put the illegal poulation in the state at 550,000 in 2006.
Other Estimates - The Pew Hispanic Center estimates the illegal alien population of the state at 55,000 to 85,000 as of 2005.
COSTS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS
Incarceration Costs - Illinois has received partial compensation under the federal State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) that was established in 1994 to compensate the states and local jurisdictions for incarceration of "undocumented," aliens who are serving time for a felony conviction or at least two misdemeanors.
The recent SCAAP amounts that Illinois has received were:
FY’99—$14,075,811
FY’00—$9,811,412
FY’01—$14,396,351
FY’02—$15,788,246
FY’03—$5,476,520
FY’04—$3,338,261
The amount of SCAAP awards has been declining in both total distributions and even more as a share of the state’s expenses. In FY’99 the state received 38.6% of its costs. SCAAP data indicate that Illinois's illegal alien inmate population had increased by 71 percent from the 1,653 inmate years in FY'99 to 2,825 inmate years in FY'02, while compensation increased by 13 percent, and subsequently dropped sharply.
Medical Costs - Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, hospitals with emergency rooms are required to treat and stabilize patients with emergency medical needs regardless whether or not they are in the country legally or whether they are able to pay for the treatment. Congress in 2003 enacted an appropriation of $250 million per year (for 4 years) to help offset some of the costs due to use of this service by illegal aliens. This amount has been allocated among the states based upon estimates of the illegal alien population and data on the apprehension of illegal aliens in each state. This amount compensates only a fraction of the medical outlays. For Illinois, the proposed payment in fiscal year 2004 is $10,301,871.
