Fiscal impacts of Mexican migration to the United States.

This [paper] critically assesses the methodology and findings of 15 recent studies of the fiscal impact of immigration to the United States. With important exceptions the literature concludes that the net effect of immigrants and immigration is negative....County/metropolitan and state data drawn primarily from Los Angeles and San Diego Counties and from the states of California and Texas give some indication of the fiscal impact of Mexican migration but methodological issues compromise the utility of these estimates for anything more than the broadest interpretation. We conclude this assessment with a review of six persistent challenges that bear attention in any attempt to establish a serious basis for policy making or theory-building on questions of fiscal costs and benefits associated with U.S. immigration. (EXCERPT)