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Immigration to Florida
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 FLORIDA IMMIGRATION STATISTICS |
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Total Population: |
18,810,000 (2006) |
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Foreign Born: |
3,055,000 (2005) |
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Illegal Immigrants: |
FAIR Estimate: 550,000 (2005) |
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USCIS/DHS Estimate: 850,000 (2006) |
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Pew Hispanic Center Estimate: 850,000 (2005) |
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Immigration to Florida
As the third largest in the country, Florida is the seventh fastest growing state in the United States. Having experienced a 23.5 percent, or three million people, population growth between 1990-2000 Florida is now the home to 16 million people. The Census Bureau has projected that Florida’s population will grow by 26 percent between 2000-2025, amounting to 20,710,000. Currently number four, population wise, in the United States, Florida is expected to pass the number three spot, New York, staying right behind California and Texas.
As the seventh fastest growing state in the United States, Florida has received more than three million new residents, of which approximately one-third were immigrants, in the last ten years. This increase is larger than the states entire population in 1950. The increase in the foreign-born population accounted for 61 percent of the state’s overall population increase during the 1990s. As the fourth largest increase, Florida is home to 2.7 million, or 17 percent, foreign-born residents. Making up nine percent of the United States’ total foreign-born population, Florida is six percent higher in the national average of 11 percent.
Illegal Immigration to Florida
According to the Migration Policy Institute, more than 700,000 illegal aliens currently reside in Florida. With an increase of 100 percent since 1996, many illegal migrant workers spend six to nine months out of the year in Immokalee fields picking crops. Out of desperation, Florida spent state money on funding overseas development and trade programs, and foreign aid hoping to keep potential immigrants out of Florida. In the summer of 1994, at a rate of 1,000 immigrants a day, 32,000 Cuban rafters started coming ashore in Key West and after years of complaints that the government were not doing enough, Florida sued to the federal government for failing to stop illegal immigration or to assist in the bearing of the costs. Although the lawsuit was unsuccessful, the Justice Department released $18 million to Florida to assist in the Florida Immigration Initiative that includes that illegal re-entries now are handled by federal prosecutors after having been released data from Florida law enforcement agencies. In the year 1999 Florida requested compensation of $56 million from the federal government (under the federal State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, or SCAAP) towards the incarceration of illegal immigrants. Florida taxpayers had to shelf out the additional $34.4 million as the federal government only paid $21.6 million in compensation. Providing care to illegal immigrants places Florida hospitals under a financial toll. As hospitals cannot refuse emergency care regardless to anyone’s immigration status under federal law, many hospitals end up footing the bill for services provided. As an primary source of critical health care and routine, illegal immigrants often use emergency rooms as many of them cannot qualify for Medicaid as they ware working in low-wage jobs with no benefits.
Immigration to Florida causes a Housing and Water Shortages
Although Florida is sits on hundreds of wetlands and lakes, receives more than 50 inches of rainfall a year, and sits atop of enormous underground aquifers. Florida has severe water supply problems. With more people moving to the state, it is forecasted that the water use will increase with 30 percent between 1995-2020. Unless new water sources are discovered or population growth slows, it is projected that the water supply in Central Florida will dry up within five years. Plans include increasing use of treated sewage on lawns, building a massive reservoir, and turning seawater into drinking water. With the loss of groundwater comes the loss of disappearing open space. As more land is being paved over, such as the Everglades, not only does Florida lose trees and nature, but the opportunity to use soil as replenishment for groundwater, resulting between 7.3-17 million of gallons of water per year. Devastating the Florida Bay and the Keys, the polluted runoff from agriculture and asphalt continues to flow.
A correlation with the increase in the number of foreign-born often correlates with severely crowded housing as the trend is driven by immigrants that come for jobs but who cannot afford the rents, leaving families to move in together, to make ends meet. With 11 percent of all households severely crowded, Florida’s cities are extremely crowded, left to strand various community services including schools and trash collection. The enrollment for public elementary and high school increased 35 percent between 1990-2000. With the seventh highest ratio in the country, Florida’s ratio of students per teacher is 18.4, 15 percent higher than the national average. Although additional schools are being constructed, the demand for additional construction is being halted as no affordable land is available. With overcrowded public schools, legislators are considering to paying students to attend private schools. While six percent of Florida children are foreign-born, 28 percent have immigrant parents. With a high immigration rate, population growth often exceed projections. In Florida, an extra $500 million have been needed to pay exceeded projections by tens of thousands of students not originally accounted for. In order to just keep up with the influx of foreign-born students, one elementary school a month is needed to be built.
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