CRANBERRY TWP — State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th, led a hearing Wednesday where political groups sounded off on illegal immigration before a panel of state representatives.

The House Republican Policy Committee heard testimony from 11 people representing groups around the nation. The hearing at the Regional Learning Alliance focused on gathering information.

Most of the speakers said many illegal immigrants cost taxpayers millions in state benefits and threaten American jobs. They advocated state legislation to prevent businesses from hiring illegal immigrants, strengthening U.S. border security and better enforcing existing laws.

Joining Metcalfe on the committee were state Reps. Scott Hutchinson, R-64th; Curt Sonney, R-4th; John Evans, R-5th; and Mike Turzai, R-28th. About 50 people attended.

Committee members explored a state response to illegal immigration with Richard Sheetz Jr., the deputy attorney general in charge of the criminal law division for the state attorney general.

Sheetz said in 2000 there were about 49,000 illegal immigrants in the state, and millions of dollars were spent on them.

Benefits immigrants illegally obtain include medical aid, public education and workers' compensation. If they are arrested, they cost taxpayers millions while they are in prison.

Metcalfe asked if states can enforce a tougher law on verifying people hired and receiving state aid are U.S. citizens.

"We would be willing to work with you on that. We can draft something that might be enforceable," said Sheetz.

The difficulty is that illegal immigrants, when caught, are put through an understaffed federal system, and often they are not prosecuted or remain in the country after being released, Sheetz said.

Among those giving testimony was Bill Adams Sr., president of Adams Manufacturing, a manufacturer in Portersville employing about 150 people.

In written testimony, he said taxpayers pay to educate illegal immigrants in public schools. He said these taxes discourage business in Pennsylvania.

Middle-class workers, Adams wrote, pay the price of illegal immigration: "Our jobs are less secure, salary increases are harder to obtain, and rising taxes tied to illegal immigration makes us ever poorer."

"(W)e should try to be sure that those who come into (the country) do so legally," wrote Adams.

The Latino Catholic Community of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, in a letter written by Sister Janice Vanderneck, supported illegal immigrants who pay taxes.

"Today politicians wish to use undocumented immigrants as a scapegoat for the problems affecting our state and are not willing to see the evidence of immigrant contributions to improving our state," wrote Vanderneck.

She said with better efforts to check documentation, illegal immigrants would not get state aid.

She wrote the borders should be secured, but immigrant families should be kept together. She also cited an article by the Employment Policy Foundation that said without immigrant labor, "the output of good and services would be at least $1 trillion smaller than it is today."

Angela Buchanan, a representative from the Team America political action committee, said states should act to stop the hiring of illegal immigrants. She said the federal government's efforts have failed and immigration is now a state and local issue.

She said the country has the resources to secure the border, but the federal government refuses to do it.

But about 92 percent of Americans want better enforcement of immigration laws, she said.

"Washington leaders are divided (on this issue), but this country is not divided," said Buchanan.

Regarding the agricultural business, which she said makes the best case for a demand for illegal immigrants, she said there is already a federal "guest worker" program in place to legally hire seasonal workers for the farm.

Buchanan said the program is underused because it is still more costly than simply hiring undocumented workers.

Observers of the hearing were there to learn more about the issue.

But Kevin Caridad, a Seven Fields resident, was disappointed.

"I thought this would bring people together to come up with a solution. But all I heard was a lot of Republicans saying the same thing," said Caridad.

He said immigration is a non-partisan issue, so the committee should be politically balanced.

"I don't fell like I'm represented here," he said.

Another observer, Middlesex Township resident John Olesnevich, plans to run against Metcalfe in the November election as a write-in candidate.

He said Metcalfe has supported non-union construction workers' right to work in the state. But now Metcalfe says he wants to protect workers through immigration reform.

"This is just a political gimmick," said Olesnevich.

The committee has had four hearings throughout the state on immigration. This was the final one.