Cost of deferral policy on TX, NM taxpayers
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has issued an executive order blocking President Barack Obama’s new deferment policy. She says the newly approved students and workers will be a drain on taxpayer dollars.
“We will issue an employment authorization card to those people that apply, but they will not be entitled to a driver’s license, nor will they be entitled to any public benefits,” Brewer said.
Brewer’s office did not respond to my inquiries today about which public benefits newly documented workers and students will now be eligible for. But some immigration reform think tanks fear newly authorized students will pay lower in-state tuition and be eligible for taxpayer sponsored scholarships. One local human rights activist tells us, however, that none of these concerns apply to taxpayers in El Paso or Las Cruces.
“It’s political theater because there are no public benefits available to these young immigrants anyway. What she said had no teeth. It’s just a symbolic statement,” said Christina Parker, media specialist Border Network for Human Rights.
Undocumented and legal resident students living in Texas and New Mexico already pay in-state tuition, with access to public grants. But critics also say new workers will be granted state tax credits. Texas, though, doesn’t have an income tax credit. On the other hand, New Mexico does, and is one benefit that could burden residents there.
But the Border Network for Human Rights in El Paso says the end of deportations for those young immigrants will end up saving taxpayers money.
“Deportation of an individual costs hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Parker said. “It costs a lot of money to detail, process and get people out of the country. And someone getting a job doesn’t cost anyone anything. If anything, it’s a boon to the economy.”
No one has been approved yet for the deferral program, so there is no precedent to these concerns, and the country still doesn’t know what the policy’s full effect will be. The Obama administration says the cost of processing student and worker forms will be completely covered by the $465 application fee.
