About Arkansas
Arkansas increased by 323,000 people or 14 percent between 1990 and 2000. This growth brings its total population to almost 2.7 million people. Between 1990 and 2000, Arkansas saw an influx of 49,000 immigrants, bringing the total number of foreign-born residents to 74,000. That near tripling of the immigrant population was much higher than the 12 percent increase in the native-born population. The Census Bureau projects that Arkansas’s population will increase to three million between 2000 and 2025.

Immigration to Arkansas
The immigrant population in Arkansas grew tremendously with thousands of immigrants arriving to work in poultry and construction jobs during the 1900s. Arkansas increased by 196 percent and experienced the fourth largest percent increase in immigrants in the U.S. during the 1990s. Some Arkansas communities are reportedly struggling to hold up under the strain of this dramatic population growth.

Illegal Immigration to Arkansas
According to USCIS figures, 27,000 undocumented immigrants resided in Arkansas as of 2000. This figure is 400 percent higher than the previous USCIS estimate in 1996. In 1997, the USCIS opened its first Arkansas office at Fort Smith. One office did not appear to be sufficient, as police frequently complained that immigration agents were often unavailable. As a result, in 2000, the USCIS opened another office in Fayetteville to investigate alien-smuggling rings, document fraud, and respond to requests from local police departments. Area police are now instructed to call the USCIS when they arrest an immigrant on a serious charge. Immigration agents also currently examine jail-booking records for deportable immigrants. As such, deportations in Northwest Arkansas have nearly tripled since the opening of the Fayetteville office.

Illegal Immigration and Schools
Rising construction costs and rapid student growth are pushing up the costs of creating new schools far faster than the state of Arizona's ability to pay. However, a part of the higher price tag may be due to state taxpayers paying for some extras that are not provided for under the law. New schools are costing Arizona taxpayers about $350 million in the 2007 budget year, according to the state Auditor General’s Office. The School Facilities Board, the state agency charged with building construction, estimates the cost could reach $544 million by 2012. Auditor General Debbie Davenport said some of what is driving up the cost is outside the control of the state. For example, the number of students in kindergarten through 12th grade grew 19 percent between 1999 and 2006. A 27 percent increase is predicted by 2015, but Davenport said the School Facilities Board has decided on its own to fund more than what is necessary for a basic school. Pearce is also hoping student growth estimates are wrong. He said a new law penalizing companies for knowingly hiring undocumented workers may result in some of these families leaving Arizona. A 2006 study by Pew Hispanic Center estimated about one in every seven students in Arizona public schools is here because of illegal immigration. That includes both students in this country illegally as well as those born here to parents who are not legal residents, and who presumably would otherwise not be in the country. Current public school enrollment is slightly more than 1 million students. This figure includes both traditional public schools and charter schools, which are also public schools under state law. Jeanine L'Ecuyer, press aide to Gov. Janet Napolitano, said efforts already are under way to study options for dealing with the rising costs, including whether to pay cash or borrow and whether there are ways to get developers to help contribute to the cost of new schools to keep the burden on taxpayers low.