Address illegal immigration

To the Editor:

Addressing illegal immigration will save school funding cuts.

There has been a 100 percent increase in illegal immigration into Indiana since 2000.

There also has been an even larger increase in Limited English Speaking students from 17,194, to 45,885, from 2000-09. In 2008, at an Immigration summer study committee meeting, Lauren Harvey, the Assistant Director of the Office of English Language Learning and Migrant Education, testified the annual cost of public education for each student is $11,400.

Although we can't stop illegal immigrant students from attending our schools, we can stop their parents from settling here. Indiana needs to implement the E-verify program for all new employees statewide and demand all employers who hold state contracts E-verify all current employees.

The E-verify program is currently being used by 14 states in one form or another and is very cost efficient. The E-verify program is more than 97 percent accurate in keeping illegal immigrants out of our work force when enforced.

If (and only if) Indiana passes and enforces the E-verify program, we will not only keep illegal immigrants from settling here, we will not have to educate their children since they will not accompany their parents here illegally.

There are some hard choices to be made this year in Indianapolis. I don't think cutting school funding $300 million is a wise decision, especially from urban schools that currently lack much needed funds.

Illegal immigration is a state problem caused by the federal government. It's now we are witnessing just how bad illegal immigration is costing the Indiana citizen as well as all Americans.

Greg Serbon,

Crown Point