IMMIGRATION IN KENTUCKY A Preliminary Description RESEARCH REPORT NO. 305 LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH COMMISSION FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY March 2002 LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH COMMISSION IMMIGRATION IN KENTUCKY A Preliminary Description Prepared by: Lauren Anderson, Lowell Atchley, Lynn Aubrey, Evelyn Gibson, Margaret Hurst, Perry Nutt Research Report No. 305 LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH COMMISSION March 2002 This report was prepared by the Legislative Research Commission and printed with state funds. This report is available in alternative forms on request iv FOREWORD The 2000 General Assembly directed Legislative Research Commission staff to study the effect of immigration on the Commonwealth’s public and private sectors. The Legislature directed staff to explore several topics related to the phenomenon of immigration in the state. This report presents the results of that review. The report is prepared for use in the 2002 legislative session. However, it does not represent the end of LRC staff’s work on this important issue. Because needed census data will not be available until sometime in 2002, staff will revisit the issue again to update work presented in this report. This report is the result of the dedicated effort of LRC staff. Our appreciation also is expressed to the many people from the public and private sector who provided information, insights, and data for this report. Robert Sherman Director Frankfort, Kentucky March 2002 i ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study represented a significant effort and would have been much more difficult to complete without the cooperation and assistance of many people in both the public and private sectors. First, staff would like to thank those who agreed to be interviewed for this report, including officials with local health departments, law enforcement agencies, businesses and industries, farms and farm organizations, and the many public and private entities who work with immigration issues. Staff also would like to acknowledge the help received from the Department for Public Health, the Cabinet for Health Services, the Cabinet for Families and Children, Administrative Office of the Courts, the Workforce Development Cabinet, Department of Revenue, and the University of Louisville. Finally, other current and former LRC staff also contributed to this report. Those include Ginny Wilson, Ph.D., Mike Clark, Ph.D., Biff Baker, Adanna Hydes, DeeAnn Mansfield, Erica Warren and Susan Spoonamore. iii iv CONTENTS FOREWORD ............................................................................................................. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................ vii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................... ix INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................1 Impact of September 11 Attacks ...........................................................................3 Scope and Methodology........................................................................................4 Organization of the Report....................................................................................5 CHAPTER 1: IMMIGRATION LAW AND KENTUCKY’S IMMIGRANT POPULATION...................................................................................7 Immigration Law...................................................................................................7 Kentucky's Immigrant Population.........................................................................9 Number of Legal Immigrants in Kentucky ....................................................11 Age Distribution of New Legal Immigrants ..................................................13 Birth Country of Legal Immigrants...............................................................14 Illegal Immigrants ..........................................................................................17 Income and Poverty Rates..............................................................................18 Educational Attainment..................................................................................20 CHAPTER 2: IMMIGRANT EMPLOYMENT TRENDS....................................23 Immigrant Tax Payments ...................................................................................23 Immigrant Labor Pool ........................................................................................24 Unemployment...................................................................................................27 Immigration Effects in the Labor Force........................................................28 Employers’ Experiences.....................................................................................30 Employment of Noncitizens.........................................................................30 Reasons for Hiring Noncitizen Workers ......................................................31 Legal Documents and Employers’ Responsibilities.....................................32 Employer Responsibilities Cause Concerns.................................................33 Hiring Bilinguals and Training Immigrants/Refugees.................................34 Cultural and Community Issues ...................................................................35 Employment Agencies Used to Hire Noncitizens........................................35 Perspectives of Associations ........................................................................36 Refugee Centers and Charitable Organizations ...........................................37 Illegal Immigrants Working in Kentucky Jobs ............................................38 Kentucky’s Agricultural Labor Market and Immigrant Workers .......................39 Farm Labor Data Sources..............................................................................42 NAWS (National Agricultural Workers’ Survey) Estimates ........................45 Past and Present Temporary Worker Programs ............................................46 Farmers’ Concerns ........................................................................................52 v CHAPTER 3: EDUCATION ISSUES ...................................................................55 Educating Immigrant Children............................................................................55 State School Language Services .........................................................................56 Limited English Proficient Students (LEP).........................................................57 Languages Spoken by LEP Students..............................................................58 Programs Providing Services to ELL/LEP Students...........................................60 Title VI...........................................................................................................61 Title VII..........................................................................................................61 Title I..............................................................................................................62 Migrant Education..........................................................................................62 Emergency Immigrant Education Program....................................................63 Refugee Education Program...........................................................................63 Obligations to Educate Immigrant Children .......................................................63 Federal Law....................................................................................................63 Kentucky Law ................................................................................................64 Post-Secondary Educational Institutions.............................................................65 CHAPTER 4: EFFECTS ON SOCIAL SERVICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES......................................................67 Immigrants and Social Services .........................................................................67 Medicaid and KCHIP Use..............................................................................69 Health Departments............................................................................................72 Access by Immigrant Groups.........................................................................72 Impact on Health Department Budgets ..........................................................75 Health Department Language and Cultural Issues.........................................75 Housing Issues....................................................................................................77 Immigration and Crime Rates ............................................................................78 Prison System and Jails.................................................................................81 Immigrant Victimization...............................................................................81 Local Law Enforcement-INS Relationship...................................................82 Immigrant Driver’s License Issue.................................................................83 Local Law Enforcement Language Training ................................................84