INS ESTIMATE
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (now dissolved into the Dept. of Homeland Security) estimated in February 2003 that the population of resident illegal aliens in Arizona was 283,000 in January 2000. According to this INS estimate, only five states had higher numbers of illegal aliens than Arizona. Most of the state’s illegal alien population may be presumed to have arrived after the 1986 amnesty for illegal aliens, when nearly 83,000 applications (29,249 long-term illegal residents and 53,319 agricultural workers) were received from aliens who claimed Arizona as their residence.
The illegal alien population has continued to climb since October 1992 when it was estimated at 57,000 illegal residents. The estimate by the INS was about 115,000 as of October 1996. The INS played down the apparent doubling of the illegal alien population in four years by noting that it believed the 1992 estimate should have included about 38,000 more Mexicans. The most recent estimate by DHS put the illegal poulation in the state at 500,000 in 2006.
OTHER ESTIMATES
In a report on "The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Arizonans" released in May 2004, we estimated the illegal alien population in the state has likely risen to 425,000 persons. That estimate included an estimated 55,000 public school students who were illegal aliens.
The Pew Hispanic Center estimated in March 2005 that the illegal alien population in Arizona was 500,000 in 2004.
INCARCERATION COSTS
Arizona 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 Arizona has received were:
FY’99—$15,904,509
FY’00—$18,117,905
FY’01—$23,814,068
FY’02—$24,183,895
FY’03—$9,325,514
FY’04—$9,083,367
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 Arizona's illegal alien inmate population had increased by 90 percent from the 247 inmate years in FY'99 to 4,698 inmate years in FY'02.
In our study on "The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Arizonans", we estimated the uncompensated incarceration cost in 2004 at $80 million.
MEDICAL COSTS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS
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 Arizona, the proposed payment in fiscal year 2004 is $41,579,731.
In our study on "The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Arizonans", we estimated the uncompensated medical cost in 2004 at $400 million.
EDUCATIONAL COSTS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS
Because states are required to educate illegal alien students through secondary school under the 1982 Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court decision, taxpayers are saddled with this burden. In addition, advocates for illegal immigrants have mounted a campaign in the state legislatures to allow illegal aliens to receive taxpayer supported post-secondary education at in-state tuition rates.
