How much would it cost to deport every single illegal alien in the U.S.?

The pro-amnesty American Action Forum (AAF) found it would cost the federal government $400 to $600 billion to remove all illegal aliens currently living in the United States within a two year period and to prevent all future unlawful entry.

In its research paper, AAF examined the personnel and infrastructure implications of removing all 11.3 million illegal aliens in a two-year time frame. In order to remove all illegals, each each one would have to be apprehended, detained, legally processed, and transported to their country of origin. In order to remove all illegals in two years, the U.S. government would have to expand each of those stages of the removal process.

The current annual budget for U.S. Customs and Border Protection is $13.5 billion. This does not include the costs of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies dealing with apprehending, detaining and processing illegals on a daily basis.

Based upon FY 2013 levels it would require:

  • Federal immigration apprehension personnel to increase from 4,844 positions to 90,582 positions;
  • The number of immigration detention beds to increase from 34,000 to 348,831;
  • The number of immigration courts to increase from 58 to 1,316;
  • The number of federal attorneys legally processing undocumented immigrants to increase from 1,430 to 32,445; and
  • A minimum of 17,296 chartered flights and 30,701 chartered bus trips each year.

George Fuller, an expert on immigration issues, notes, “Put in E-Verify and take away Childbirth citizenship and they will self deport. There will be no rounding up necessary. The AAF report is designed to make people think we have to accept them being here because the cost to deport them is high, but that is not true. When they get hungry they will leave. The same goes for visa over stayers!”

The Federation for America Immigration Reform (FAIR) in a 2013 study estimates the annual costs of illegal immigration at the federal, state and local level to be about $113 billion; nearly $29 billion at the federal level and $84 billion at the state and local level.

The FAIR study also estimates tax collections from illegal alien workers, both those in the above-ground economy and those in the underground economy. Those receipts do not come close to the level of expenditures and, in any case, are misleading as an offset because over time unemployed and underemployed U.S. workers would replace illegal alien workers.

Key Findings of the FAIR study:

  • Illegal immigration costs U.S. taxpayers about $113 billion a year at the federal, state and local level. The bulk of the costs — some $84 billion — are absorbed by state and local governments.
  • The annual outlay that illegal aliens cost U.S. taxpayers is an average amount per native-headed household of $1,117. The fiscal impact per household varies considerably because the greatest share of the burden falls on state and local taxpayers whose burden depends on the size of the illegal alien population in that locality
  • Education for the children of illegal aliens constitutes the single largest cost to taxpayers, at an annual price tag of nearly $52 billion. Nearly all of those costs are absorbed by state and local governments.
  • At the federal level, about one-third of outlays are matched by tax collections from illegal aliens. At the state and local level, an average of less than 5 percent of the public costs associated with illegal immigration is recouped through taxes collected from illegal aliens.
  • Most illegal aliens do not pay income taxes. Among those who do, much of the revenues collected are refunded to the illegal aliens when they file tax returns. Many are also claiming tax credits resulting in payments from the U.S. Treasury.

Read the FAIR full report here.

It appears from the two reports that the costs of deporting all illegals would be recouped within 4 to 6 years.

The AFF report notes that, “[I]n just two years it would shrink the labor force by 10.3 million workers and reduce real GDP by $1 trillion.” However, this does not take into account the reduction of payments to those not working by the government, who would now be able to back fill those jobs opened by the mass deportation of illegals.

Please leave your comments on this column. There are two options, the status quo or deportation. Which would be better for America and American workers?

UPDATE: Robert A King left the following comment on our Facebook page.

The straw man argument against enforcing immigration laws against illegals already here is that we can’t practically deport some 20 Million, illegal aliens. Poppy cock! Don’t fall for it!

Most illegals would go home of their own accord, without having to physically deport them, if we:

1) Build the fence – the WHOLE fence!

2) Make it illegal to hire an illegal, backed by stiff fines escalating to jail time for repeat/multiple offenses, and with culpability extending to corporate officers and board members;

3) Pass mandatory e-Verify in order to implement 2);

4) Make it illegal to provide educational, health (except for emergency care), or social welfare benefits to illegals, backed by stiff fines escalating to jail time for repeat/multiple offenses, and with culpability extending to corporate officers and board members;

5) Revise the visa system to make location recording and check-in tracking mandatory for all here under the various visas. Once expired and not renewed, require mandatory departure enforced by arrest and deportation for violation.

6) Eliminate the law that allows “Birthright Citizenship”, aka “Anchor Babies”. Congress NEVER intended that a person sneaking over the border to have their baby in the US should be allowed to be granted automatic and immediate citizenship. Amend the constitution, if necessary;

7) Make aiding and abetting an illegal itself illegal, backed by stiff fines escalating to jail time for repeat/multiple offenses, and with culpability extending to all involved, especially corporate officers and board members;

8) Illegals wanting to return to the US must apply under the legal immigration system, and follow the law like all other, legal immigrants;

9) Deport all criminal illegal aliens, whom make up over 30% of the federal prison population.

These things alone would cause most illegals to go home of their own accord, due to lack of “goody” incentives and the inability to work.

Next, we must also:

10) Make English our official language. E Pluribus Unum – out of many, one. It’s our national motto.

No more government voting ballots or other forms in anything other than English.

You want to be here? Become an AMERICAN!

12 replies
  1. Robert
    Robert says:

    Neither is the answer. It will cost next to nothing. In fact Billions will be saved next to the few million it would cost.

    ANSWER:

    Stop ALL $$ going to Welfare, EBT, Medical. Place HUGE fine on employers hiring illegals and fine landlord that have them as tenants. Offer them a one way ticket or go on a Government bus back across the border. Just a small ( less than 10-20%) would probably remain I would guess.

    That would change your figures radically.

    Reply
    • ScottS
      ScottS says:

      the cost of deportation is far less than leaving them here. between welfare and other social programs, the cost to our schools systems teaching non english speaking children, the massive level of criminality of the illegals, the cost of deportation would be cost cutting and in fact life saving in the long run.

      Reply
  2. Stephen
    Stephen says:

    Some months back, Hillary stated that it would be “inhumane” to send people back to their own country. However, not once did I hear anyone say that it was inhumane to bring them over here. Recently, Hillary was quoted saying that she would like to bring “39,000” muslims into our country. Would someone who support her please point out how many homeless Americans she has intentions of getting off the streets of American?

    Reply
    • Joliet Jake
      Joliet Jake says:

      Not all illegals are Mexican. I think it would be safe to say that all Central and South American countries have contributed to the illegal population in the USA. So, they can’t all be sent home on a bus. The Mexican’s aren’t going to allow a never ending stream of buses filled with undocumented and unwilling Hondurans, Salvadorans, Venezuelans, Columbians, Nicaraguans, Panamanians, Bolivians… you get the picture. So we got to put millions on boats or planes. And then, oh crap, when the boat docks and the planes land, the welcome party will be dressed in military fatigues. The boarder patrol, army regulars, local police ….all smiles, rifles and AK’s in hand, ordering the captain and ONLY the captain, to please step out the vessel with log book and papers. Then…”Capeetaan, shut up. If you require fuel, you have one hour to buy it and pump it. Then get your gringo bullsheet out of our country. Don’t come back, we’ll arrest you, or maybe we will shoot you, and we don’t need no stinkin’ badges.” … But seriously, these people will not be allowed back in to their “homelands”. There’s too many of them, been gone too long. Half of them have never even been to the country that we plan to have them ‘return’ to. “Yo Homes…I was born in East L.A”. They’ll be turned right around and sent back to the good old US of A…. and that fellas, would get real messy, real quick. Worried about Hillary suggesting we accept 39,000 REFUGEES (she didn’t say “muslims”), we’re dumping 11.3 MILLION. really? seriously?

      Reply
  3. chris
    chris says:

    SUCH BS FIGURES.
    UNTRUE FACTS
    IT COST LESS TO SEND ILLEGALS BACK THAN IT DOES TO KEEP SUPPORTING THEM ON ALL THESE BENEFITS, 4-500 IN FOOD STAMPS PER HOUSEHOLD, HELP WITH RENT, HELP WITH CHILDCARE, WIK, AND ALL THE OTHER LOW INCOME AND WARFARE PROGRAMS FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS.
    plus THEY HERE ILLEGALLY. AGAINST NATIONAL SECURITY LAWS. PERIOD!

    WHOEVER IS DOING THE MATH, NEEDS TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL AND OBTAIN A BETTER DEGREE IN FINANCING!

    Reply
  4. tom
    tom says:

    “ESTIMATES the annual costs of illegal immigration at the federal, state and local level to be about $113 billion; nearly $29 billion at the federal level and $84 billion at the state and local level.”
    Mexifornia ALONE wastes OVER 20 BILLION a year (it was 20 BILLION in 2010) closer to 25 BILLION today since assclown brown threw down the red carpet for all illegals leaving other states and also to as many syrian “refugees” as odipshit would send there.
    So the actual costs are far closer to 130 BILLION annually to keep them here.

    Reply
  5. Tobias
    Tobias says:

    Make the punishment for being in the United States of America illegally deportation to the Middle East. Ship them by the thousands with minimum comfort and provisions, leaving them with crackers and water for a week’s ration.

    Reply
  6. Luigi Amaretto
    Luigi Amaretto says:

    There is also the Option of “Self Deportation”, that would cost nothing.
    The motivation would be, to get a permit for legal reentry.

    Reply
  7. dene97
    dene97 says:

    Stop allowing them, and in some cases, encouraging them to apply for assistance. When the handouts stop, some of them will probably leave on their own. Re-run the numbers on how much they cost us then, then work on deporting the rest.

    Reply
  8. Dutchess
    Dutchess says:

    Wow… so much hate here. Yes, it’s not alright to have people take advantage of the US coming here illegally. The unemployment rate is disgusting and I’ve personally met one too many illegals taking high paying jobs with illegal documents while citizens are unemployed. I wish I had enough information to turn them in. On the other hand, our government is providing welfare programs for those in need which is NOT illegals. I’ve been in those lines, been on WIC before for a very uncomfortable situation. You need to show a current and valid ID with your social security information in most locations throughout the US. It is not intended for illegals by any means. And let me tell you, standing in line for 2 hours to get almost expired food is not a great benefit. When I needed a roof over my head, I signed a 2 year waiting list… citizens only. I now see many issues not taken into consideration. I married a refugee who came here LEGALLY. My idea was to switch the political asylum case to a petition case because it was ten times cheaper and we wanted a baby. Big mistake. After applying for the green card, it took 7 YEARS for them to start processing. I can assume since the country was predominantly muslim, the paperwork went on the back burner. Now the information provided is out of date, therefore is denied. As well as his work authorization. So now, as a US citizen, I am raising a child on my own salary. The father will not be able to work to provide support for the next 7 years or more. Only a costly lawyer can help that process move forward, yet how does one afford it like this unless with a six figure salary or more? How is the US going to repair LEGAL situations? There is a lot more to it than most think.

    Reply

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