Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) (CNSNews.com/Penny Starr)
(CNSNews.com) – Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) delivered her case Friday against the comprehensive immigration reform proposal, saying it would cost $6 trillion and particularly harm blacks and Hispanics.
“What I’m asking all of us to consider are the profound implications of what this will mean, because amnesty will cost a fortune,” Bachmann said at the Road to Majority Conference in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Faith & Freedom Coalition. “We’re looking at a $6 trillion cost for amnesty. Just the retirement benefits alone for illegal aliens – which must be born by the American people – is something like $2.7 trillion.”
The Congressional Budget Office has yet to estimate how much the immigration reform bill would cost, but the Heritage Foundation estimates it at $6.3 trillion.
“It would be one thing if we had high skill workers coming into the United States, but the estimate is that the average illegal alien that comes to the United States, the average age is 34 years old,” Bachmann said.
“The average education level is about 10th grade. That’s not to demean anyone for a lack of education, but a 34-year-old with a 10th grade education, it’s tough to believe you will be paying more in taxes than they will be receiving in benefits,” she said.
“The people who will be hurt the most are Hispanics and African-Americans who already suffer high levels of unemployment, because rather than competing for jobs now at say $10 an hour, they will have seven more people with like skills who don’t have to compete,” she added.
“In 1986, the American people were promised we would have a one-time deal for amnesty – one time, and it would be 1 million illegal aliens to be given status,” Bachmann said. “We all know that did not turn out to be true. It turned out to be 3.5 million.”
Bachmann said that under this legislation, America will confer legal status on more illegal aliens in 10 years than in the last 40 years.
Bachmann expressed doubts that the bipartisan Gang of Eight proposal will have adequate enforcement measures as proponents claim.
“The bill that we are currently looking at, if it survives in its existing form, will mean that the borders will not be secure, despite the promises that we are being given,” Bachmann said. “It is as we heard this week from one of the members of the Gang of Eight, it will be legalization first and maybe we’ll deal with border security down the road. It takes the whole technology of e-Verify and puts it on the shelf. It prevents the states from even using the concept of e-Verify.
The Senate is still debating the immigration reform proposal. The House Judiciary Committee will begin discussing the legislation next week.