The report, titled "Report on the Cost of Illegal Aliens to New Jerseyans," was released on Tuesday and provides an in-depth analysis of the number of illegal immigrants in the state, the financial burden they impose on taxpayers, and the ongoing border crisis.
According to Kanitra's office, as of April 2024, approximately 894,000 illegal immigrants reside in New Jersey. With a state population of just under 10 million, this suggests that nearly one in ten New Jersey residents is an illegal immigrant.
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The report found that New Jersey taxpayers are shouldering the cost of housing, legal services, medical care, education, police and fire services, and other general state government services for these illegal immigrants. In total, Kanitra's office estimates that New Jersey residents are paying $7.3 billion annually to cover these costs.
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Kanitra wrote in the report, "This report follows my academic trip down to the southern border of these United States. I believe that I have achieved greater insight, for myself and my constituents, on the crisis unfolding along the border, particularly at the Rio Grande River."
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The assemblyman released his report alongside a video documenting his trip to the southern border. In the video, he meets with members of the Texas Department of Public Safety, who are currently battling the ongoing U.S.-Mexico border crisis.
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Kanitra stated in the video, "During my border trip, judges, Border Patrol agents and Texas state troopers unequivocally stated that our actions here in New Jersey are incentivizing and encouraging people worldwide to break our laws and access the taxpayer-funded benefits we’re providing."
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Kanitra urged New Jersey leaders to implement several measures to alleviate the crisis. These include adding citizenship or legal status to state IDs, discontinuing education subsidies for illegal immigrants, mandating employers to use E-Verify, and requiring the reporting of legal status for those using healthcare services, among other proposals.
Federal immigration authorities are grappling with an unprecedented crisis at the southern border. Since President Joe Biden assumed office, there have been at least 6 million encounters at the southern border.