Illegal immigration costs taxpayers $151 billion per year – a 30% increase since 2017: Study
A Federation for American Immigration Reform study recently found that illegal immigration costs American taxpayers $151 billion annually, a 30% increase since 2017.
The study, titled “The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers 2023,” discovered that illegal immigrant services and benefits cost $182 billion a year. However, FAIR claimed approximately $31 billion is collected in taxes from 15.5 million illegal immigrants residing in the United States, offsetting some overall costs.
In 2017, FAIR reported that illegal immigration services placed a $116-billion burden on taxpayers per year.
The study considered education and food assistance programs that U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants are eligible to receive. It also estimated the costs of state-level programs.
According to FAIR, the most significant expense is K-12 education for migrant children, which it estimates costs taxpayers $78 billion annually. In addition, the study found that healthcare expenses, including uncompensated hospital bills, Medicaid fraud, and Medicaid for children, cost roughly $42.7 billion annually.
American taxpayers spend another $47 billion annually on immigration enforcement and other federal, state, and local criminal justice efforts.
Approximately $13.5 billion a year is spent on food assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
Each illegal immigrant or U.S.-born child of an illegal immigrant costs $8,776 per year, which costs each taxpayer $1,156 per year.
California spends the largest amount on supporting illegal immigration services and benefits at $31 billion a year. Texas spends roughly $13 billion annually, and West Virginia spends the least at $33 million annually.
FAIR, which advocates for stricter border enforcement, said the current administration’s open southern border policies have burdened the American taxpayers.
“As America struggles to meet countless societal needs while facing the realities of our staggering $31 trillion national debt, the costs of providing for millions of people who have no legal right to be in the United States continues to grow at an alarming rate,” said FAIR President Dan Stein.
“Not only is the Biden administration refusing to rein in illegal immigration or remove the people who are breaking our laws, they are promulgating policies that actually encourage more of it while offering new protections and benefits to those who settle here illegally,” he added. “Likewise, a growing number of states and localities create their own costly magnets for illegal aliens by declaring themselves sanctuaries and offering new benefits and services. This has to stop.”
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