by Lance T. Izumi, Fellow in California Studies
Pacific Research Institute
October 20, 1998

Announcer lead: Time for Perspectives. Lance Izumi says that the high cost of immigration is a missing issue this election season.

Four years ago, with Proposition 187 on the ballot, immigration became a huge election issue in California. Yet today, one hears absolutely nothing about the subject from our political candidates. Why?

No doubt much of the lack of discussion stems from simple political cowardice. Why anger significant blocs of voters when playing it safe and silent is so much easier. Trouble is, ignoring a problem doesn't necessarily mean that it doesn't exist any more.

Despite the soothing talk of the multiculturalist Left and the open-borders Right, the empirical evidence shows that our current immigration policies are not working. For example, last year in a major report issued by the National Academy of Sciences, researchers came to some startling conclusions regarding the costs of immigration. In California, it was calculated that immigration, both legal and illegal, resulted in an annual net state and local tax burden of $1,174 per native household. According to the NAS report, much of this added cost is due to the lower skill levels of newer immigrants relative to native-born Americans.

The Rand Corporation also issued a study last year that contained many sobering facts about the impact of immigration on California. According to Rand's data, 1 to 1.3 percent of California's native population is currently unemployed because of immigration. Like the NAS researchers, Rand found that on the whole newer immigrants have very low skill levels, especially in English proficiency. In addition, Rand found abuses in the U.S. refugee program which has turned the program into a subsidized fast-track immigration program. Rand recommends that the level of legal immigration be cut drastically, from the current 900,000 to perhaps 550,000, and that greater emphasis be given to the skill levels of new immigrants.

Regardless of how one feels about immigration, findings such as these from top-flight research organizations deserve to be addressed by our political candidates. As citizens and voters, we should demand it.

With a perspective, I'm Lance Izumi.