About Nevada
The Silver State of Nevada is the seventh largest state in the union, and it got its nickname from its many silver deposits and mines. It is also sometimes called the “Battle Born” state, a nickname that is reflected on the state flag and refers to how Nevada entered the Civil War on the side of the Union. Nevada went on to become the 36th state to enter the union 1864, right before the presidential election. Geographically Nevada reaches from the Mojave Desert in the south to the Great Basins in the north, and it is one of the driest states in the country. Over 58 percent of the land in the state is owned by the U.S. Government. Most of the 2.6 million people that live in Nevada reside either in Las Vegas or in Reno. Each year millions of tourists come to Nevada. Some come to get married or divorced, others come to gamble. The state is also known for its legal prostitution and for being the test site for nuclear bombs. Economically, Nevada relies heavily on tourism and gaming. But there is also mining and other industry. There is also agriculture and cattle.

Immigration to Nevada
As of July 2007, it is estimated (FAIR) that the immigrant population of Nevada is 576,000 which equates to approximately 28.8% of the state’s population. The majority of immigrants are from Mexico (38.7%) and the Philippines (12.8%).

There has been an increase in the foreign-born population both through new immigrant residents in the state as well as through the children born to immigrants. It is estimated the immigrant population and immigrant births are adding nearly 20,300 persons to Nevada every year equating to 29.8% of the state’s overall population increase.

Nevada’s naturalization rate of 36.9% is much lower than the national average of 40.1% based upon data recorded during the 2000 Census. The data collected in the 2000 Census shows a decline in the naturalization recorded in 1990 (41.4%), which was slightly higher than the then-current average.

Illegal Immigration to Nevada
As of 2007, FAIR estimates the state’s illegal alien population at about 170,000 persons which equates to less than approximately 6.8% of the overall population. The annual fiscal cost to Nevada taxpayers for emergency medical care, education, and incarceration projected by FAIR is currently $518 million and is estimated to rise to $950 million per year by 2010 and $1.8 billion per year in 2020.

Some economic analysts claim that illegal immigration places an enormous burden on taxpayers in Nevada. Public funds are used to provide quality education, health care and other services to American citizens and legal immigrants, particularly the poor, minorities and children. The cost of these services has been exasperated by the needs of the insurmountable numbers of poor, unskilled illegal immigrants. The expense is becoming more than the taxpaying American citizen can cover.

Some claim that illegal immigrants have increased job competition for American workers because of the undocumented immigrant's desperate need to work. Jobs that would normally go to a legal immigrant or citizen are being offered to unskilled illegal immigrants for less wages and poorer working conditions. Thus, adding to the difficulty of funding for public services. Detention, apprehension and removal are three major components the US government is addressing within its administration and moving towards a comprehensive effort to end illegal immigration. Nevada economic analysts maintain that a balance needs to be struck at the Federal government level between the Immigration and Naturalization Services and the Border Patrol as well as the Nevada state level, to effectively enforce and administer these components. In 2007, a report issued by the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) attempted to refocus the immigration debate in Nevada by studying the economic benefits of Hispanic immigration, both illegal and legal, rather than focus on the immigrants’ costs to society. PLAN reported that Hispanic immigrants paid $1.6 billion in Nevada state and local taxes in 2005. Opponents claim that the report is invalid as the report focuses only on the benefits of immigration without considering the associated costs.