Governor Says It Would Be "Big Mistake" To Blame Budget Deficit on Illegal Immigration

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

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• Most Actions Will Wait Until Governor's May Budget Revisions

By Marty D. Omoto
Director/Organizer
California Disability Community Action Network

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, breaking with Assembly Republicans who are pushing a package of bills dealing with costs of undocumented or illegal immigrants to the State, said Wednesday (March 26) that it would be a "big mistake" to blame that population for the State's budget crisis and the enormous budget shortfalls. The With California still facing an enormous budget shortfall, the Governor made the remark while meeting with local elected officials and community and business leaders in San Luis Obispo to talk about his proposals for budget reform.

During that meeting, the mother of Assemblymember Sam Blakeslee (Republican - San Luis Obispo, 33rd District), asked Schwarzenegger how California should handle the financial costs created by illegal immigrants.

The Governor, who said he believes the federal government should enact immigration reform and stronger border security, observed that "there is, you know, always a time like this where you start pointing the finger at various different elements of what creates the budget mess, and, you know, some may point the finger at illegal immigrants. I can guarantee you, I have been now four years in office in Sacramento, I don't think that illegal immigration has created the mess that we are in."

Blaming undocumented immigrants, the Governor said "because we have a budget problem would be a big mistake. I think we have to look at ourselves in Sacramento. We in Sacramento have the responsibility to come up with a coherent budget system, and we haven't done that."

The Governor in January, proposed a budget for 2008-2009 that projected a shortfall of $14.5 billion. The Legislative Analyst in February said that the deficit had grown to over $16 billion. The Legislature, in response to the Governor declaring a "fiscal emergency" in January, passed spending cuts and other changes, including delaying payments and borrowing, that cut the deficit by over $7 billion - but still leaving a shortfall of about $8 to $9 billion.

Assembly Republicans Push Package of Bills Dealing with Undocumented Immigration Costs

The Governor's comments on the issue was significant because Assembly Republicans earlier this week pushed a package of bills that they claim would reduce costs in the State budget resulting from undocumented immigrants and border security. The bills pushed by Assembly Republicans include proof of citizenship for state funded services and benefits, repealing current State law that allows students of undocumented immigrant parents to pay the same college tuition as other California residents.