Defend Colorado Now is claiming that their push for a constitutional amendment this fall is justified by the $1 billion that illegal immigrants cost the state, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "The group pushing for a constitutional restriction on state services for illegal immigrants released a report Tuesday estimating those immigrants will cost Colorado taxpayers more than $1 billion this year. Critics dismissed the report as 'voodoo economics.' And Defend Colorado Now organizer Fred Elbel conceded the amendment would have little fiscal impact if passed because the federal government requires the state to pay for K-12 education and emergency care for all residents. Still, the costs of those mandates likely would decrease if the state constitution was amended to make Colorado a less welcoming place for illegal immigrants, said former Republican Senate President John Andrews, who has signed on with Defend Colorado Now...
"Democratic Rep. Terrance Carroll of Denver, who argues immigration issues should be left to the federal government, took issue with that assertion. He also dismissed the 17-page report's cost estimates as 'voodoo economics.' The report refers to 27 existing reports to arrive at its conclusions about state services but does not disclose the methodologies of those reports. It also lacks any estimation or analysis of taxes or spending generated by illegal residents. Democratic House Speaker Andrew Romanoff of Denver said he hoped to find private funding for an analysis that would examine both the economic costs and benefits of immigration...
"The group leading the opposition to Defend Colorado Now, Keep Colorado Safe, had no quarrel with the thrust of Tuesday's report - that illegal immigration is a serious problem, said Manolo Gonzalez-Estay, manager of the opposition campaign. But he said the proposed amendment would have zero effect on the problem."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
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