No Sanctuary from "Illegal" Costs.

• Position: Illegal immigration

To alleviate the strains of illegal immigration on border cities, Pres. Donald Trump has suggested flying these immigrants to sanctuary cities that have thumbed their noses at enforcing Federal law--New York, for instance, now provides licenses to its undocumented residents --as mayors proudly have showcased their cities as havens for undocumented individuals despite the hefty price tag falling on their constituents.

Nationally, the annual cost of illegal immigration is $116,000,000,000, maintains the Federation for American Immigration Reform, but the burden on state and local governments is crippling, as state and local tax-payers disproportionately are footing the bill with the majority of spending on free programs estimated at $88,900,000,000.

As many teachers walked out of their classrooms recently, citing lack of proper funding and low pay, education for illegal immigrants has been a $44,400,000,000 annual burden on local and state taxpayers. One in 10 students (4,930,000) in public schools is classified as Limited English Proficiency. Teaching LEP students puts additional stress on faculty and qualified staff. State and local taxpayers foot 98.9% of the bill.

The National School Lunch Program costs taxpayers $13,600,000,000. To join, districts are required to change the way they count the number of students, often undercounting undocumented children. This has led to cuts in Federal funding that could have helped with muchneeded staff increases and other programs. Free meals in schools hit local and state taxpayers with a $1,950,000,000 yearly tab.

Free medical care for illegal aliens costs $12,100,000,000 on the state and local level. Under the Emergency Medical Treatment Act, they cannot be turned away. Medicaid retroactively covers the expenses that are passed on to legal and insured patients. Health-care programs for low-income immigrants are available in 25 states. Medicaid in states such as California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts is...