Immigration Cost Study Needs Care : County Must Provide Facts, Not Fodder for Racism

Orange County is trying to put a price tag on what illegal immigration costs in terms of health care, welfare, law enforcement and other county services. There’s nothing wrong with that. Solid information could help the county bolster California’s appeal to Washington for a fairer share of federal immigration aid, which this region needs far more than other parts of the nation.

But there also is a danger that, if a study is not done well, it could lead both to an exaggeration of what illegal immigrants cost the county and a minimization of what they contribute, realistically, to the local economy. Were that to happen, it would inflame anti-immigrant and racial tensions--something Orange County can ill afford in the aftermath of the Los Angeles riots.

The study of illegal immigration costs was requested of the county by an Orange County Grand Jury and, separately, by the Chamber of Commerce in Orange, a city that has been heavily affected by immigration.

In following through, the county should listen to Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder, who suggested that representatives of the minority community be included in the planning. Minority groups are especially concerned that illegal immigration be blamed unfairly for society’s ills, especially during a recession. They also point out that immigrants provide a young, cheap labor pool that helps businesses--something that might not show up in a study aimed only at determining the county’s costs for service programs.

County Administrative Officer Ernie Schneider says he is aware that illegal immigration is a sensitive issue. Because of this, he has said he will seek input from County Human Relations Commission Executive Director Rusty Kennedy, who expressed worries that a study of illegal immigration might be one-sided.

Added to these concerns are questions about just how comprehensive a study the county is prepared or able to do. Schneider says that to do it from scratch could cost $200,000 or more--far more than cash-strapped Orange County can afford in a recession. To minimize expenses, county staff now is assessing a proposal by Schneider to simply apply data already gathered in San Diego and Los Angeles counties to the situation in Orange County.

This is a questionable way to proceed, however.

For one thing, the conclusions and methodology of the San Diego study were challenged by the minority community there. For another, immigration patterns vary from county to county, even if they appear similar on the surface.

Nevertheless, if a way can be found to do a study properly, the data it provides might be useful.

It could provide information that would be helpful in building California’s case that it is not receiving enough funding under the Immigration and Reform and Control Act, which was passed six years ago. Orange, San Diego, Los Angeles and other counties that are positioned close to the Mexican border for too long have been saddled unfairly with the financial burden of the nation’s immigration policy, and this should be corrected.

The study must provide accurate data or it ultimately will prove useless or even harmful. It also must be conducted in a fair and comprehensive way, to cover all sides of the issue.

In the aftermath of the L.A. riots, tensions among the region’s various ethnic groups have been more pronounced. The last thing Orange County needs is a study that would provide few hard facts--but a lot of fodder for racism.