Chamber seeks reform as Illinois sees wave of immigrants entering state

[November 03, 2022]  Trina Thomas | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) – Illinois continues to see an influx of migrants entering the state.

While experts believe they make a positive impact on the economy, Illinois Chamber of Commerce President Todd Maisch said it's vital to differentiate between those who enter legally versus illegally.

Legally documented immigrants are "less of a burden" on systems like healthcare, Maisch said, as he calls for strong immigration reform. In a Feb. 2021 news release, Maisch voiced his support for border security and the rule of law. But, he believes Washington must find a compromise for immigration reform for undocumented children and immigrants who want to bring their entrepreneurial spirit to help boost the economy.

"There are many, many very productive undocumented folks that you know, are operating as though they're here legally, but have come in a way that is not complying with the law," Maisch told The Center Square. "If you're here legally, you've stood in line, you have the right paperwork, you've got your green card, you're here to work, that's a completely different matter because you are paying taxes, you are part of the regular workforce and much, much less of a burden on the system."

According to the IRS, undocumented immigrants pay over $9 billion in withheld payroll taxes annually. Per Bipartisan Policy, they help make the Social Security system more fruitful since they pay into the system but cannot collect those benefits when they retire. In fact, $12 billion more was collected in 2010 from undocumented immigrants for Social Security payroll taxes than were paid out to them.

Maisch said healthcare for undocumented immigrants could be a burden on the system. Illinois became the first state to provide public health insurance to all low-income noncitizen seniors, even if they're in the country undocumented.

The new program offers a package with a $0 co-pay and premium. Covered services include doctor and hospital care, lab tests, rehabilitative services like physical and occupational therapy, home health, mental health and substance use disorder services, dental and vision services and prescription drugs. Long-term services like nursing homes are not covered.

According to Maisch, there are some sectors where undocumented workers can help in lower-skilled jobs, but he argues it still "doesn't make it right."

"Undocumented migrants particular come in, they think that 'I could probably get hired in the restaurant industry or something along those lines,'" Maisch said. "I would think some lower-skilled construction jobs would probably be on that list as well. You're not going to come here and be able to get employed as a physician. But there's no doubt that there are some employers that are otherwise above-board, kind of look the other way if they can't find waiter servers [or] cooks anywhere else that, yeah, they do look the other way. That doesn't make it right, but it does happen."