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Immigration bill in Kentucky could cost $89 million
The cost of utilizing Kentucky police to help enforce immigration laws could cost taxpayers in the state $89 million per year, The Associated Press reports.
Staff members at the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission reportedly posted the estimated cost for the legislation, which would give state and local police the authority to check the immigration statuses of those they stop for traffic violations.
However, Republican State Senator John Schickel said that the cost could be even more for the state if it does not enact such legislation while other states pass laws that cause undocumented immigrants to move.
"If we do nothing, we risk the danger of becoming a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants," the senator told the House Local Government Committee recently.
Schickel added that the estimated costs may not be entirely accurate because "the cost is indeterminable."
Regardless of whether strict immigration laws are passed throughout the country, foreign nationals can still utilize the federal EB-5 visa program, which allows them to obtain U.S. green card eligibility by investing $1 million (or $500,000 in some areas) in an American project or company that either creates or maintains at least 10 full-time jobs.