Report: Illegal aliens cost American taxpayers $135 billion
A Federation for American Immigration Reform report reveals that illegal aliens are costing the U.S. taxpayer $135 billion. That cost includes medical care, education, and law enforcement expenses.
Washington Examiner:
The swelling population of illegal immigrants and their kids is costing American taxpayers $135 billion a year, the highest ever, driven by free medical care, education and a huge law enforcement bill, according to the the most authoritative report on the issue yet.
And despite claims from pro-illegal immigration advocates that the aliens pay significant off-setting taxes back to federal, state and local treasuries, the Federation for American Immigration Reform report tallied just $19 billion, making the final hit to taxpayers about $116 billion.
State and local governments are getting ravaged by the costs, at over $88 billion. The federal government, by comparison, is getting off easy at $45 billion in costs for illegals.
President Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and conservatives in Congress are moving aggressively to deal with illegals, especially those with long criminal records. But their effort is being fought by courts and some 300 so-called "sanctuary communities" that refuse to work with federal law enforcement.
The report, titled "The Fiscal Burden Of Illegal Immigration on U.S. Taxpayers," is the most comprehensive cost tally from FAIR. It said that the costs have jumped about $3 billion in four years and will continue to surge unless illegal immigration is stopped.
The cost of allowing illegals into the country is only going to get larger as states and cities with sanctuary policies dole out more and more benefits to those here illegally.
The $135-billion price tag far exceeds what the U.S. government spends on transportation and nearly equals the entire Department of Education budget. Perhaps we should remind the American people when they are traveling down poorly maintained roads and wondering why school funding is getting shortchanged that a primary cause is the cost of accommodating people who have no business being in the country, receiving benefits that used to be reserved for U.S. citizens.