The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers | 2023 Cost Study

 March 8, 2023 

 

Report by FAIR Research | March 2023

The following is a summary of our cost study findings. To access our full report, including state-specific information, click here

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Key Highlights

• At the start of 2023, the net cost of illegal immigration for the United States – at the federal, state, and local levels – was at least $150.7 billion.

• FAIR arrived at this number by subtracting the tax revenue paid by illegal aliens – just under $32 billion – from the gross negative economic impact of illegal immigration, $182 billion.

• In 2017, the estimated net cost of illegal migration was approximately $116 billion. In just 5 years, the cost to Americans has increased by nearly $35 billion.

• Illegal immigration costs each American taxpayer $1,156 per year ($957 after factoring in taxes paid by illegal aliens).

• Each illegal alien or U.S.-born child of illegal aliens costs the U.S. $8,776 annually.

• Evidence shows that tax payments by illegal aliens cover only around a sixth of the costs they create at all levels in this country.

• A large percentage of illegal aliens who work in the underground economy frequently avoid paying any income tax at all.

• Many illegal aliens actually receive a net cash profit through refundable tax credit programs.

Introduction

This cost study report is currently the only comprehensive examination of the financial impact of illegal immigration in the United States. Every day, hundreds of millions of dollars in American taxpayer money are spent on costs directly associated with illegal immigration. Only a small fraction of these costs is ever recouped from taxes paid by illegal aliens, with the rest falling on the shoulders of American citizens and legal immigrants.

Our aim in this report is to show the American people the fiscal burden of illegal immigration at every level and across nearly all aspects of life. These costs range from emergency medical care to in-state tuition; from incarcerating illegal aliens in local jails to federal budgets that pay out billions in welfare every year. Because there are so many different ways that money is spent on illegal aliens at both the state and local levels, the information in our report is otherwise hard to find (or even intentionally hidden). This report supersedes FAIR’s 2017 cost study and highlights massive increases in spending related to illegal immigration that were implemented while American citizens deal with an uncertain economy............The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers | 2023 Cost Study