Atlas of Hispanic-American History

well as equal access to federal and local

government assistance programs, such as

financial assistance for education,

Medicaid, and free school lunches.

In many cases, these children are far

more acculturated into the mainstream of

American culture than their parents.

Although statistics for the language abil-

ities of illegal Hispanic immigrants alone

are not available, other statistics show

that more than 85 percent of all U.S.

–born Hispanics who are under 18 speak

English either as their only language or

speak it very well.

The fact that many children of illegal

aliens are themselves U.S. citizens has

complicated the response of state and

local governments to the immigration

issue. Many local and state governments

have argued that providing benefits to

unauthorized immigrants imposes a

major financial drain. A 2002 study found

that the largest costs relating to illegal

immigrants are Medicaid ($2.5 billion);

treatment for the uninsured ($2.2 bil-

lion); food assistance programs such as

food stamps, WIC, and free school lunch-

es ($1.9 billion); the federal prison and

court systems ($1.6 billion); and federal

aid to schools ($1.4 billion). In response,

many states have moved to deny illegal

immigrants government assistance. For

example, in 2005, the Virginia House of

Delegates voted to deny Medicaid and

other benefits to illegal immigrants. The

Virginia bill required immigrants prove

their legal status before receiving some

state and local benefits.

On the federal level, there is wide-

spread agreement that current immigra-

tion laws are in need of reform. Most

argue in favor of tighter border security,

but there is little agreement on how to

proceed toward that goal. What’s more,

there is a bitter split on the problem of

what to do about those aliens already

here illegally. In the U.S. House of

Representatives, a variety of new restric-

tions have been proposed, including

making it a felony to be in the United

States illegally, stiffening penalties on

employers who hire illegals, requiring

churches to check the legal status of its

parishioners before helping them, and

erecting a new fence along the U.S.-

Mexican border.

In 2005, Republican Senator John

McCain, Democratic Senator Edward

Kennedy, and others co-sponsored the

Secure America and Orderly Immi-

gration Act. The bill, which won biparti-

san support, including that of President

Bush, aimed to secure U.S. borders and

improve the enforcement of current

immigration laws.

The bill proposed the creation of a

new visa category known as an “H-5A.”

According to the McCain-Kennedy bill,

222 ATLAS OF HISPANIC-AMERICAN HISTORY

22 miles

361 miles 88 miles

51 miles

176 miles

Tecate Calexico

Phoenix

Tuscon

Douglas

Columbus El Paso

Del Rio

Eagle pass

Laredo

Brownsville

ARIZONA NEW MEXICO

TEXAS

CALIFORNIA

SONORA

BAJA

CHIHUAHUA

COAHUILA

NUEVO

LEÓN

TAMAULIPAS

0 200 miles

0 200 km

Existing

Proposed

Urban area

U.S. Federally Funded Barriers

Existing fence, 83 miles

Proposed fence, 698 miles

The Border Fence