Soaring illegal immigration during the Biden-Harris administration was a major campaign theme, with a pre-election Harvard poll finding Americans considered immigration the second-most important issue—right behind inflation and ahead of the economy. An AP exit poll seconded that ranking, with 39 percent of voters citing the economy as their top issue, followed by immigration at 20 percent—up from three percent in 2020. Of them, “88% went for Trump.” Meanwhile, the 82-page policy book Vice President Kamala Harris released in September failed to even mention immigration.
While critics often connect illegal immigration with elevated crime, compromised national security, and other ills, another key issue is the high cost of government benefits paid to illegal immigrants. While deporting illegal immigrants with criminal records is first on their to-do list, the new Trump administration should act to restrict benefits paid to illegal immigrants, too. As it does so, here are ten key facts on illegal immigration, drawn from sources on the political left, right, and center.
1. How many illegal immigrants are in the US and how many entered during the Biden-Harris administration?
“Recent estimates range from 10.3 million to 11.4 million unauthorized individuals living in the United States.”
“…the Biden-Harris Administration has released into the United States more than 5.6 million illegal aliens, with another 1.9 million illegal alien ‘gotaways’ escaping into the country…”
2. What is the total annual cost of illegal immigration?
“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.”
3. How much are those costs per taxpayer?
“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.”
4. How much are the costs over a lifetime?
“….using existing estimates of the net lifetime fiscal impact (taxes paid minus costs) of immigrants by education indicates that the fiscal drain created by the average illegal immigrant is $68,000.”
5. How does illegal immigrants’ benefit use compare with other households?
“We estimate that 59.4 percent of illegal immigrant households use one or more welfare programs. Compared to the U.S.-born, illegal-headed households use every program at statistically higher rates, except for SSI, TANF, and housing. Illegal immigrants have especially high use of cash (mainly the EITC), food programs, and Medicaid.”
6. How can illegal immigrant households collect so much welfare?
“The high use of welfare by illegal immigrant-headed households is due to several factors. First and foremost, more than half of all illegal immigrant households have at least one U.S.-born child on behalf of whom they can receive benefits…”
7. How many households with children are headed by illegal immigrants?
“…there are nearly 2.7 million households with at least one illegal head and one child….there are more than 5.3 million U.S.-born children of illegal aliens who hold SSNs.”
8. How much do these households collect in key federal food and cash benefits?
“…the total estimated cost to the American taxpayer of providing SNAP to the children of illegal aliens is almost $5.8 billion.”
“…the total cost for providing TANF benefits to the U.S.-born children of illegal aliens comes out to approximately $1.43 billion.”
“…illegal alien households received approximately $13.4 billion in child tax credits in 2022 for the 2021 tax year.” After the elevated child tax credit expired in 2022, this amount is expected to be “in the area of $5.4 billion going forward.”
9. How much do illegal immigrant households collect in federal health benefits?
According to the House Budget Committee, the $16.2 billion increase in Medicaid-funded emergency services for illegal immigrants under the Biden-Harris administration reflects an “increase of 124% compared to the same period under the Trump Administration.” As Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) notes, “This is on top of the executive action taken to provide $9 billion in Obamacare to illegal immigrants.”
10. Did illegal immigrant households collect pandemic benefits supported by federal funds?
Yes. Democrats’ March 2021 American Rescue Plan provided states $350 billion in flexible federal funds, which some states used to provide unemployment checks to illegal immigrants:
[New York] just created a new $2.1 billion program for those living in the US illegally….funds from the new program will flow to 290,000 individuals across New York, including 92,000 who may soon receive $15,600 in a lump sum payment — the equivalent of $300 per week of unemployment in the past year. That’s for those who, despite not being authorized to work in the US, can prove they lost employment during the pandemic.
Reprinted with permission from AEI by Matt Weidinger.
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
Much of the data being discussed by the author of this piece is actually incorrect. Try looking at the actual government data that is put out monthly instead of quoting what some Democrat officials spew to the public, so the subject can be discussed honestly.
The actual number of total illegals living in this country is between 48 and 54 million today by multiple government reports that come out either monthly or quarterly. Government officials have been quoting numbers of 10 to 11 million to the public since the mid 1990’s under Bill Clinton. It’s an empty placeholder number at this point, with no connection to the real numbers for political reasons. Just in the last 4 years under Biden alone, 2 million plus illegals have entered into the United States each and every year, with another 1 million to 1.5 million in estimated got aways per year. That’s a minimum of 8 million known illegals with another 6 million in estimated got aways for a total of 14 million additional illegals in just the 4 years of Biden alone.
Therefore, the cost estimates used in this article are similarly off. You’re under-counting of the scale of the problem is also leading to an extreme under-estimating of the cost to the American taxpayer. Last year alone, one federal government agency report put the estimated cost of illegal aliens in the United States at $400 billion dollars annually and growing. If you’re going to address the problem, you need the real numbers to understand the scope and cost of the problem.
Our American children are the losers. They have become 2 nd class citizens in education, food, security, services etc …. Next are our disabled veterans and elderly. Then our over worked under appreciated police,national guard.
Shut down every ‘sanctuary city’
THI IS ONE MORE REASON WHY THE TREASONOUS DEMOCRATS LOST THE ELECTION. THAT’S WHY THEY ARE NOW CALLED DEMON-CRATS, a name they so deserve, because of their “demonic” action against all citizens in favor of the illegals, so they can maintain power. They betrayed us for their GREED Of POWER which THEY INTEND WITH THE ILLEGAL’S VOTES. ….it backfired and now we know who Democrats really are, defined by their own actions.
That list is not unbelievable or crazy, it is phantasmagoric, something that Alice might have found. Those responsible for it deserve prison. Who is in charge here? Is no one responsible and held accountable? Had they robbed the bank there would be charges,they rob the nation and all is well.
We have a solution for this in place. It’s just a shame that nothing can and will be done until January. Are there really that many stupid people here ? I say stupid because most are college educated that still have their student loans to repay.
I strongly agree with those saying these phony “government” numbers are way too low.
As soon as deportation becomes a reality watch the Left go off on how the price of “sending them back” is hurting the economy. Fact is what they each receive in undeserved benefits in a month will more than pay for their transportation home with a nice check in their pocket compliments of Uncle Sam. One month of benefits for most will make them well off in their native countries and you can be sure many of them have been sending thousands home during their stay here.
If the U.S.A. learns anything from all of this, I hope it is how to get money into the hands of our needy fellow citizens as quickly as they were able to get it into the hands of these law breakers. I personally know of dozens of people who have been waiting years to receive benefits they are entitled to and most have to give a big chunk of their settlement to shady lawyers who work under the table with government bureaucrats!
Round and round in circles it goes — so it really isn’t going anywhere. The ” it ” is the whole illegal aliens situation. The questions who ? , why?, and how? this situation continues is what needs to be constantly referred to. Usually something that has a structure indicates that there is something. acceptable about it. There is a sort of structure to this illegal alien situation due to the length of time it has been going on. Organized crime has always had some sort of structure Law enforcement has a structure . One cannot compare the structures of organized crime ( such as the illegal alien gangs at the southern border ) with law enforcement . It is just a fact that the longer something evil is tolerated the more damage will be done by that evil force. There seems to be no lack of knowledge about the various aspects of the illegal aliens — just a lack of willingness to be determined to stop it. More intelligent government is on the way come January 2025 . Right thinking people can be optimistic that improvements will be made and there will be proper border security .
Your stats are a joke. In all my adult memory the number of illegals living in the IS has been 11 million. How could it still be 11 million after four years of aliens pouring over the border in the tens of thousands a month. Time to get off your butts and get some stats we can believe instead of quoting God know who from some other press outlet. We’re not stupid, ya know.
not one red cent of tax dollars to these law breaking criminals!
My heart rate went up just reading this article.
Add to that free healthcare, hotel rooms, food, cell phones, gift cards, airline flights, etc. If you can’t support yourself, you should not be here. Legal immigrants are banned from receiving government assistance.
Now do an article on how illegal aliens impact inflation. They consume more resources than they produce in terms of economic output — that is inflationary (increasing demand more than they increase supply drives up prices). This is most readily seen in housing, but the effects are economy-wide.
Deport ALL illegals and build that damn wall and make sure it can’t be climbed.
There’s more than 11M illegal invaders living here. Without a doubt.
Half if not most of the problems described in this article is probably due to manipulation of the forms used to get all these individuals on the government benefits programs by the “helper” organizations who use AI tactics to complete these forms knowing what keywords are needed and that those workers who review these forms will easily accept the paperwork without detailed review if the keywords are used. These organizations do nothing to provide the correct pathway to citizenship and just keep these individuals perpetually in limbo status. And who’s going to turn away free money , not these individuals? Meanwhile regular citizens who are low income in need get denied benefits
Unbelievable! Not to mention all the billions that was sent to Ukraine to be laundered back into our evil representatives bank accounts
After reading all of these stats, it’s no wonder we are so far in debt! It’s as if American taxpayers have taken the entire world to raise! Plus, Biden could close the border immediately and by not closing it, it only hurts the Demonicrat Party for future elections! You would think they would pressure Biden to close the border but so far, not a peep!
About 90% – 95% of average Americans pay no attention to politics, at least until the elections come around, and even then, not a much higher number. They don’t follow the same things that AMAC, among other conservative media, members follow on a regular basis. At any given time, we probably have about 5% or so that actively pay attention, write or call their representatives and partake in THEIR government! They get their “news” from awful places like social media and televised lame-stream media channels! Is it any wonder at all that this once great nation finds itself in the situation that we’re in today?!
The people trying to destroy this country know exactly what they’re doing and how to do it. There are reasons that the left went after education and the media a long time ago!! Imagine how much better we would be as a nation if a much greater percentage of her citizens could get involved more and take part in their own government? There are millions of oppressed people around the world that would love to have a say in their governance! Old Rush Limbaugh used to say; Our nation is being run by only 5% of its population! The rest is just along for the ride!
Yes, who wrote this? It doesn’t say. It’s laughably wrong. Why would Amac publish this? Very strange.