As the number of illegal immigrants swells nationwide, state and local governments are grappling with a fiercely debated question: Are illegal immigrants a burden on or a benefit to local economies?
The answer: It depends on whom you ask.
States, demographers and interest groups have tried to quantify the fiscal costs versus the benefits of illegal immigration, but there's no consensus on the answers. Those concerned about illegal immigration conclude new arrivals are a drain on public services, citing the growth of the school-age population and the mounting ranks of the uninsured. Meanwhile, others contend that illegal immigrants swell state coffers by paying millions in taxes and fees without receiving many services available to legal residents.
In Maryland, where the illegal immigrant population is estimated at between 200,000 and 268,000, a legislative proposal to deny illegal immigrants any service not mandated by the federal government has drawn criticism from advocates who argue there's no evidence of abuse.
As a result, all sides of the debate are eager for more data.
"We've looked at studies across the country and we are convinced ... that immigrants are a benefit," said Kim Propeack, director of community organizing and political action for the immigrant-rights group CASA of Maryland. "But we are hungry for Maryland-specific information because we consistently confront these assumptions about the lack of contributions."
The group supports a bill sponsored by Sen. Richard Madaleno, a Montgomery County Democrat, that would examine legal and illegal immigration in Maryland.
"We need to look at the complexity of the immigration situation to understand exactly what sort of immigrant population we are seeing in Maryland," said Madaleno, adding that immigrant families often include foreign nationals in the U.S. illegally and children who are U.S. citizens.
Critics are confident the data will support the argument for curtailing services to illegal immigrants.
"This is an expense being borne by the citizens of Maryland," said House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell, a Southern Maryland Republican who sponsored the bill to cut off services. "We have limited resources and those resources should be quantified. The legislature has a right and a responsibility to know these costs."
Nationwide, each side picks the calculations that support its views, demographers said.
