Illegal immigration has the reached the point of crisis, with estimates of those living in the United States in violation of our laws at 11 million – or even higher. Over the past decade an estimated 700,000 to 800,000 people annually gained unauthorized entry into the United States. The governors of two border states, Arizona and New Mexico, have declared a state of emergency regarding this loss of control over our nation's borders.


Texas is at ground zero when it comes to illegal immigration, with the longest international border of any state in the nation. It is estimated that 1.4 million people may be residing within our state illegally. The costs imposed upon taxpayers are staggering.


For instance, the Harris County Hospital District saw its uncompensated care costs for illegal immigrants reach $97 million in 2005. This is an increase of 77 percent in just three years. The Children with Special Health Care Needs program operated by the State of Texas recently had 78.9 percent of its expenditures go to assist non-citizens. The public school districts in our state are also required to educate the children of those here illegally. The costs are estimated to go into the billions of dollars each year.


There are also costs imposed on our criminal justice system at all levels of government. El Paso County, as an example, spent $13 million to jail 14,800 illegal aliens in 2000 – but received just $1.1 million in reimbursement from the federal government.


While enforcing our national border is largely a federal responsibility, Texas cannot sit back and patiently wait for it to happen. Illegal immigration is impacting our state in negative ways and our citizens rightly expect state and local officials to do something about it.


Gov. Rick Perry recently strengthened the law enforcement presence along the border through such programs as Operation Linebacker and Operation Del Rio. This focused attention by state and local law enforcement has already led to a 76 percent reduction in major crimes in Val Verde County, when compared to the same 30 day period from a year ago.


I will be filing a number of pieces of legislation during the next regular session of the legislature on this topic. At the top of the list will be establishing a common sense requirement that the State of Texas track the costs associated with illegal immigration across all of state government. It can only help us spur federal action if we can show exactly how many billions of dollars their inaction is costing us.


Another bill I have already had drafted takes aim at so-called "sanctuary cities", which adopt barriers to cooperation with federal law enforcement officials regarding the enforcement of immigration laws. The costs associated with illegal immigration go well beyond the city limits of where these sanctuary policies are in place. This impacts the entire nation, after all.


I will also be working on legislation to create sanctions for vendors selling to the State of Texas that are caught using illegal workers. Another bill I will file repeals legislation from 2001 which grants in-state tuition rates in certain circumstances to illegal immigrants attending college in Texas. I have concerns that this policy conflicts with federal law. It is also unfair to Americans living in other states who attend our colleges and universities to be charged more than someone who is in the country illegally.


It is true that the United States is a nation of immigrants. However, we are also a nation with a deep respect for the concept of rule of law. The lax enforcement of our immigration laws is unjust to the legal immigrants and guest workers who play by the rules regarding who may live and work in this country. People who enter illegally should never be given an advantage over those who obey the law.


The citizens of our state and nation understand that maintaining the status quo negatively impacts our national security, public safety, and the taxpayers. The United States, with Texas' help, must regain effective control of its borders. This will be one of the major issues facing the Texas Legislature when it reconvenes. I have legislation drafted and ready to file in January.

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