Calif. lawmakers eye cost of illegals

SACRAMENTO, July 10 (UPI) -- A group of California voters is reported considering a campaign to cut welfare payments for U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants, lawmakers say.

Those children are eligible for welfare benefits because they are U.S. citizens. Trimming them from the rolls through a new law, state welfare officials figure, would enable cash-strapped California to save about $640 million annually, The Los Angeles Times said Friday.

One of the hottest topics for many California taxpayers is the cost of illegal immigrants as lawmakers struggle with a budget gap of $26.3 billion.

California has roughly 2.7 million illegal residents, according to an April 2009 report from the authoritative Pew Hispanic Center. That accounts for about 7 percent of the state's population.

State officials estimate that they add between $4 billion and $6 billion in costs, primarily for prisons and jails, schools and emergency rooms.

Beyond those services, the illegal population adds to the overall cost of other things ranging from police and fire protection to highway maintenance and libraries.