I came across this Washington Post article entitled, “States inspired by Arizona illegal-immigration law face tough fiscal realities.” The article itself is a little light on detailing those fiscal realities.
However, it did make me think to check the fiscal analysis report (pdf) for Sen. Delph’s SB 590 which emulates the Arizona immigration law. The costs that could be analyzed could run into the millions. And that’s without being able to calculate the cost for local law enforcement and local government to enforce the law, modify their contracts, and defend their actions against lawsuits.
I wonder how the costs associated with this bill compares to the cost of educating non-citizens, providing healthcare for them via emergency rooms, and using police resources when illegals commit crimes in our communities. It would be an interesting analysis, although a huge undertaking for anyone with the where-with-all to commit to tackling such a study.