We Cannot Afford Illegal Immigration

I would like to offer a fuller view on Roberta Medford’s comments on the contributions and costs of illegal immigrants [Letters to the Editor, Aug. 27]. The study she cited states that 26% of California’s immigrant population is here illegally and they contribute $130 billion to the California gross domestic product. This is 20% of the total contributions of all immigrants to the state economy. So the 26% of immigrants that are here illegally only contribute 20% of the total immigrant share of the California economy.

The study also points out that 59% of illegal immigrants do not have health insurance. This is a major cost to state taxpayers because the federal government does not cover illegal immigrants under the Affordable Care Act.

In closing, legal immigrants have a high unemployment rate and illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from the legal immigrants, who followed the rules and came to America the right way.

We need to end illegal immigration. It’s the right thing to do.

Lynn McGinnis

Glendale

  Lynn McGinnis