The state is spending too much money on illegal immigrants to deserve the $3.7 billion shot in the arm it is asking voters to deliver Nov. 1, leaders in the fight against Referendums C and D are saying this week.
Hoping to offer a new frame for the red-hot fight over state fiscal policy and also to woo an emerging voter bloc focused intensely on immigration, opponents of the ballot questions now are entering the debate on illegal immigration.
“The fact is, (politicians) haven’t done anything about it, and they haven’t tried to do anything about it,” said Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute and a leader of the Vote No campaign. “If Colorado didn’t have to pay for services for illegal immigrants, what would the state budget look like?”
In public schools, through Medicaid and across the spectrum of government services, illegal residents are sapping Colorado’s resources, he said. Part of the problem, he and other critics of the referendums said, is that the state has not accounted for this group’s collective impact in the state. In fact, both sides in the debate concede that no studies have been done to determine such costs.
According to the state Department of Health Care and Financing, illegal immigrants and new, legal immigrants had a combined Medicaid impact of $38.4 million last year. They are allowed medical care under Medicaid only for emergency treatments. That coverage is mandated by the federal government.
Caldara acknowledged that, with citizens patrolling the Mexican border and immigration already being discussed as a key issue in the 2008 presidential race, this new campaign theme is driven by both policy concerns and political tactics.
“Of course it’s both things,” Caldara said. “This is a motivating issue for Coloradans. There’s no question that Coloradans are tired of paying benefits for illegal aliens. And I think it’s a reasonable thing for Colorado families to look at their tax refund and say, ‘Do I want to give this up so illegals can have it?”‘
He is holding a news conference on the issue today. His Vote No campaign group, “Vote No; It’s Your Dough,” called voters with the immigration message over the weekend, he said.
Katy Atkinson, spokeswoman for the Vote Yes campaign, accused Caldara of making a nonsensical argument. “So what they’re saying is, ‘We’re going to strangle the whole state so we can force politicians to debate something that’s not relevant,”‘ she said.
Lisa Duran, director of the immigration group Rights for All People, pointed out that illegal immigrants contribute to the economy. “I think that targeting the most vulnerable sections of the population is never a good way to do policy, especially when those vulnerable sectors are adding so much to our communities,” Duran said.
Referendum C proposes a five- year suspension of tax refunds mandated by the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. Referendum D asks voters for permission to borrow money for infrastructure improvements. If Referendum C fails, the state will have to cut $400 million from the budget, proponents say.
As for anti-immigration activists who might now be drawn into the orbit of the libertarian Vote No campaign, they are being fooled, Atkinson said. “Those very committed people are being misled into thinking that a vote against C and D is somehow going to change Colorado’s immigration policy,” she said.
But Sen. Tom Wiens, R-Castle Rock, who said he will participate in Caldara’s news conference today, said he believes voters should understand the impact of this group before they give the state more money. He also is pursuing a bill that would make the creation of fake IDs a felony in Colorado, he said.
Staff writer Jim Hughes can be reached at 303-820-1244 or jhughes@denverpost.com.
