State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement yesterday.
Illegal immigration is hurting Mississippi taxpayers according to a new report released today by State Auditor Shad White.
“Mississippi’s illegal immigration problem is spiraling out of control and is costing taxpayers millions,” said State Auditor Shad White. “Our public schools, hospitals, and prisons will continue to lose massive sums of money that we could have spent on our own citizens if this problem is not solved.”
Analysts from the Office of the State Auditor estimate that there are at least 22,000 illegal immigrants currently living in Mississippi. Using conservative estimates, analysts then estimated that illegal immigration costs Mississippi taxpayers over $100 million annually.
The report shows spending on education, healthcare, and public safety drives this cost. Mississippi taxpayers annually pay around:
- $25 million to educate illegal immigrants in K-12 public schools
- $77 million to provide healthcare to illegal immigrants and their children
- $1.7 million to incarcerate illegal immigrants
53 comments:
Well done and well said, Shadster. This kind of $ facts should get to most knuckleheads. Great work.
It's nice to see the numbers that confirm what common sense tells us.
I appreciate the report and its findings which certainly show a systemic problem in our state with undocumented persons. While the Department of Education is prohibited from gathering some information couldn't we use allowable information to find out where these persons are working and at the least levy fines against these people or companies that employ undocumented workers?
We always see the politicians spouting the numbers of illegal immigrants and the associated costs. Where do these numbers come from? Since they are here illegally, I don't feel like they are answering any census questions or otherwise volunteering to be counted. I don't know whether these numbers are higher or lower than the estimated figures, but I'm pretty sure that no one else does either. I call BS!
I didn't see where Shad calculated the direct and indirect economic activity generated by the work activity of these folks. I mean, unless one lives under a rock, these folks actually work. They conduct services that able-bodied government tit-suckers should be doing but won't. And there are "employers" all over the state only too happy to "employ" a work force that actually works without complaints and without chronic absenteeism.
Interesting. So less than 1% of our total population is illegal? Compared to California who has 6+% of its population as illegal? The rest of this "analysis" doesn't add up to me. It highlights an extrapolated estimate of costs for a supposed population of 22,000--but I am assuming a huge majority of these 22,000 are working and participating in the economy and paying taxes. Working in factories, in poultry, in construction, in landscaping, in hospitality, etc. Meanwhile Mississippi has the lowest labor participation rate in the country. So if we don't have these people working, and no one else wants these jobs or is taking them--what is the economic cost of that?
Shad’s trying to deflect after Daddy Hurst threw that beatdown on him.
"State Auditor: Illegal Immigration Hurts Taxpayers"
Well duh.
Hey Shaddoe what about the economic impact of these folks , I assume they participate in the economy obtaining goods and services that are taxed . Speaking of taxes what happens to the income, social security, and Medicare taxes they pay. Most of them work so there must be demand for their labor. Is that employers in Mississippi would rather pay an illegal vs paying a fair wage to a citizen. Studies and writing books are fine but let’s get to the root of this problem.
Duh!
Cigarettes cause cancer!
Leftists will read this and their heads will explode.
Fortunately, however, there won't be any gray matter to clean up afterwards.
When can we expect the book to be released?
I don’t understand why thes illegals are given free healthcare, food, SS benefits while Americans are denied. There should be a sliding scale base used to pay something IMO!
Trust me on this-
many of these immigrants pay no income taxes--they live the cash economy
We all know it costs the state money. But assuming that half of all illegal immigrants go to the ER every year and each visit is $45,000....well, I think the auditor is stretching the bounds with these "assumptions."
If they each are only 1/2 the productivity of the average man, woman and child in Mississippi, their economic impact would be $425M a year. It would be $850M if they are just as productive. I say "Seal the border" and only let in the most talented, best educated, etc. and get everyone already here to work, but that seems like an important thing to mention in a study.
GDP Per Capita Data:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/248063/per-capita-us-real-gross-domestic-product-gdp-by-state/
And if Shad or the undocumented workers disappeared overnight, which would be missed? It ain't Shad.
So, roughly $100M cost to MS (not discounting the amount MS gets from the Feds to pay these costs). Look at construction in the Metro, coastal and DeSoto areas only, forget about the poultry and restaurant industries. Those folks are adding way more than that to the economy.
Then let's bring in Mafia, whores, and terrorists since they spend money too!
This is just immigrant bashing by the State Auditor, and factually incorrect. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimates that undocumented immigrants paid $96 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022 (the most recent year for which they have data). More than a third of the tax dollars paid by undocumented immigrants go toward payroll taxes dedicated to funding programs that these workers don't even have access to (Social Security & Medicare). Y'all do realize they don't use these programs even though they pay into them, right? They also indirectly contribute to property taxes in rent to the homeowner. They estimate that in 2022, undocumented immigrants paid over $49 million in state and local taxes just in the State of Mississippi. Quit hating on poor people from other countries who do the hard work you won't do yourself.
They may participate in some form but ask the Auditors office how many 1099's or social security numbers have not filed income tax.
Self-abuse causes insanity.
Can I buy this at Barnes n Nobles?
If the states employers would quit illegally hiring them we wouldn’t have this problem. If they had no work they’d move or go back to Mexico. If the penalty for getting caught working an illegal was that the OWNER of the business had to serve 6 months to a year mandatory this would be nipped. They’re at every poultry plant in the state.
12:21 PM, you are assuming they pay income taxes, social security, and medicare. One of the advantages of being illegal is most do not pay any of them. The people who hire them can pay them less than they do a real citizen as the company does not have to pay several taxes also. Many illegals work for cash only. Our government has been very generous to the illegals. They are given free cell phones, usually 20% cash down payment for a no interest home loans no penalty if they do not make payments. Add in free health care and EBT cards and you have some idea what they do to our country. If that is not enough try living close to some of them. You will get to enjoy non stop thumping music, bonfires, and drunken parties starting friday even and lasting until late sunday night. They have a habit of getting loud after they get drunk so have to increase the volume of the thumping music which causes them to become even louder talking to be heard above the thumping music.
@ 11:37 am- you seem to be one of the few that understands economics. Without these folks , who work very hard, who will provide the workforce that others seem to not want. Obviously some of you commenters haven't been around a construction site lately or seen a landscape crew. Many of these laborers are skilled brick masons, roofers, concrete finishers, carpenters, etc. Agriculture has long had to turn to workers from South Africa to help them plant and harvest, since the unemployed in the area are unskilled to operate the expensive and complicated equipment --and they don't show up every day. If these immigrants want to work hard , pay there taxes and help build this great nation--welcome. On the other hand I'm all for sending the freeloader American citizens to Guatemala and see if they have what it takes to make it back.
I would give this report more credence if it came from the state economist or somebody with some expertise in economic impact. This is not the state auditor's job, is it?
I would give this report more credence if it came from the state economist or somebody with some expertise in economic impact. This is not the state auditor's job, is it?
@11:37 Good points! Do you think that we could keep the illegal immigrants and deport some of these people that won't work?
If they left, we’d have no chicken 🐓
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What about paying an out of state firm $2,000,000 to locate misspent taxpayer money. I could do that for free without leaving home. Folks are going to find out ole Shad is a Shadster!
That's funny
That's right, 4:10. You celebrate their presence as long as they are invisible when the workday ends and stay hidden until the next morning. All is well as long as you're hoodwinked into thinking they're harmless, friendly, quiet and work hard.
But imagine them quadrupling times 40 and taking over your subdivision and partying all night long next door, shitting in your street, bar b queing goat all day on Sundays and dating your daughter. Then you'll be willing to climb a ladder and re-shingle your own damned roof, right?
@2:44 - Shad says they cost us over $100 million and you say they pay us $49 million. Subtracting the latter from the former, you agree that they still cost us over $50 million. Per year. Assuming y'all's numbers are correct (which I don't).
I'd also like to know how much is lost due to accidents involving uninsured illegals driving.
@4:10 - Jobs that an American won't do is a misnomer. Pay enough money and an American will do it.You're good with an owner of a construction company paying an immigrant $11/hr. instead of an American $35/hr. and pocketing the $24/hr. If that immigrant wasn't willing to take $11/hr., the construction company owner would have to raise salaries to get workers. At some point, the American would take the job at a fair rate based on supply and demand. So the owner gets richer, the immigrant is happy sending his pay back to Mexico while living with 20 other workers in a house. All the while, the middle class person can't feed their family or put a roof over their head because their value has been undercut by cheap/slave labor.
Totally want to puke on the scumbag RINOs/LiberaLtarians who talk conservative out of one side of their mouth, while hiring these mojados and paying crap wages to personally profit. That includes all the roofers, builders, and construction companies. Fake Republicans, out for personal gain. And, yes, the DNC LOVES this, as they are going to give them amnesty and we'll continue to see middle class incomes go down and middle class taxes go up. Too many Richie Riches hiring them as landscapers and nannies and cooks, too.
Like one guy wrote, they need to put these roofers and construction guys in jail, along with the farmers (subsidized by taxpayers) and chicken plant executives.
722 - first, the illegal isn't getting $11/hr - more like $25 but without payroll taxes (SS, Medicare) added to it. Second, if you want to have your house constructed with that $35/hr labor, then lets see how you feel about paying the 20% or more bonus on top of the current square foot rate. (If you are renting rather than buying, then lets do the same math on your monthly rent.) Can't have one without the other.
This has bestselling book written all over it.
So we close every chicken plant as well as every catfish plant?
"WE" don't have that authority. Only the federal government has the authority to regulate, arrest, charge and prosecute persons associated with our immigration processes.
No municipal, county or state agency or department has the authority to do what you suggest.
The school system has no authority to question legal entry. Nor does an employer. An employer can require production of identification and right to work in the United States, but cannot inquire as to legal status. If the documents presented by the individual indicate identity and work authorization, that's it. Whether you and I like it, that's federal law.
And your simpleton mentality is what will sink the U.S. America....."Oh, just let them come in". God - a generation of citizens just stopped having any principles or common sense whatsoever, and just "feels" their way through life.
Hey Einstein - They send most of the money they make (proven to be billions) back to their families in their home country.
Some of these illegal immigrants (II) have what is called a Taxpayer Identification Number(TIN), it is not a social security number, doesn't allow them to work all it does is gives them a number to use to file tax returns, federal and state. They will then acquire a bogus Social Security(SSN) number and associated documents to obtain work. They will file taxes under the TIN to obtain benefits for the anchor babies. For the longest MS would not give credit for taxes withheld under the bogus SSN and require the II to pay the full taxes calculated. The II is reporting to the IRS and the State that he or she is working under a SSN that is bogus for a company that is willingly blind to making sure their workforce is here legally and neither the state or IRS will do anything. The IRS will send a notice that this SSN doesn't match up, the II will provide a Different number. And the circle goes on and on. Others will work for as sub-contractor for cash and not report anything. If the business reports the payments to the IRS, it will be anywhere from 2 to 3 years before the IRS to send a notice the number provided is incorrect and the II will provide a different number go somewhere else. Others will work under the table for a LEGAL relative or friend and not report any income. The relative or friend, if possible, will not report their income(if in a cash business) or over report expenses. I work in the tax industry and see it every year.
Link?
Be careful ,Shad. Do remember the CCJ raid back when they tried to save money hiring illegals off the books . And, rather a lot of GOP donors have hired them "off the books". Mississippi gets rather a lot back in sales taxes and the property taxes of the businesses that hire them. Illegals and legal immigrants can even pick cotton. A lot of the legals are working in tech companies and sciences , including medicine. It's ok to do "guesstimates" but it's chance of being better than a guess requires you broaden your universal sample.
People like 6:03 who've never signed the front of a paycheck don't understand how the real world works. Remove your head from whatever echo chamber Rupert has led you to and give me a legitimate evaluation of what exactly would happen to the 3 industries named if you sent all these workers home. They'd grind to a halt. People who can't think for themselves and are blindly led by the 2 political parties are the greatest threat to this country.
No one said to open the borders. I just said that economically there's a net positive.
@10:39 Where is your source for $25/hour. The research I've done states that on average, undocumented construction workers earn 42% less than an American worker. The average for pay for an undocumented worker is $10-$12/hour. The average wage for an American is $20 which is not enough pay for the skilled/difficult work involved. Again, if the owner pays enough, Americans will do the job. However, by flooding the market with cheap labor, you suppress wages for American workers. Are you saying capitalism only works when you pay slave wages?
So why don’t we just prosecute everyone who uses illegal workers. Ahh that’s right y’all won’t vote for that.
@3.59 you make some very broad MAGA points care to back those up with reference s to your points or is this just something you are parroting from the retired guys club that eat breakfast every Tuesday morning at the local Hardee’s
You have a typical theory, and it's bullshit. You could advertise construction work and semi-skilled trade jobs at $25 bucks an hour and have right at zero applicants. And the few 'legals' who did apply would not show up after the first day.
I remember back in the sixties when most of us boys would show up at daylight hoping to get a pipeline (helper) job, being disappointed and coming back the next day and the next. But that was before the family unit was dissolved and the advent of helicopter money.
And, according to the guy in the white, ten-gallon hat, on Supertall a week or so ago, chicken raising is the number one employer in this state. Did not realize that.
If you work in the tax industry, and 'they' don't report income or file taxes, how do you manage to 'see it' every year?
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