Report: Illegal immigrants boost Arizona economy

I live in Arizona, I believe this.  - - Donna Poisl

By Cronkite News

WASHINGTON -- A new report challenges the argument that illegal immigrants are a drain on Arizona's economy. In fact, said the author of "The Consequences of Legalization Versus Mass Deportation in Arizona," the state could be throwing away millions in potential tax revenues by trying to drive illegal immigrants out.

"There is a real mass confusion and distortion on the reality of immigrant contribution," said Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda, the director of the North American Integration and Development Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of the report.

Hinojosa-Ojeda's report for the Center for American Progress argues that if every illegal immigrant in Arizona were legalized, the state could gain up to $540 million in taxes every year. If they were all deported, on the other hand, it would cost the state $2.4 billion in sales, income, motor vehicle and other taxes, he estimated.
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