Illegal immigration costs taxpayers $45 billion a year in health care, education, and incarceration expenses.

The economic impact of illegal immigration on taxpayers is catastrophic.

One of the critical issues that we have to confront is illegal immigration, because this is a multi-headed Hydra that affects our economy, our health care, our health care, our education systems, our national security, and also our local criminality.

The country is forced to devote more than $450 billion each year to health care costs and other expenses because of the high burden exacted children's diseases and disabilities. The National Children's Study would pay for its total cost many times over with the expected reductions it could make on this heavy societal burden.

Emergency health care for illegal aliens along the southwestern border is already costing area hospitals $200 million a year, with perhaps another $100 million in extended care costs.

Illegal immigration presents a huge problem. That is why I decided to spend a week along the southern border to see firsthand how bad the problem is and, more importantly, what Congress can do to fix it.