$150 Billion and Counting: How Illegal Immigration is Bleeding America Dry

The migrant crisis is proving far more expensive than many Americans realize.

A recent study by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) reveals that U.S. taxpayers spent approximately $150 billion last year on government services and support for the 20 million illegal migrants in the country. Much of this burden falls on state and local governments. For example, Massachusetts Republican leaders report a $1 billion deficit in state finances and accuse the Democrat-controlled government of quietly diverting funds to address the migrant crisis. On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Republican Party filed a Freedom of Information Act request demanding that Governor Maura Healey disclose the state's full migrant budget, accusing the administration of concealing the true cost from the public. "The Healey-Driscoll Administration has hidden nearly $1 billion in spending, leaving Massachusetts residents uninformed," said Amy Carnevale, chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party.

The FAIR study estimates that in 2023 alone, the cost of state services for illegal migrants and their children in Massachusetts was closer to $3 billion. In New York, the state comptroller predicts that the migrant crisis will cost state taxpayers $4.3 billion through 2025, with New York City taxpayers bearing a $3 billion burden in fiscal year 2024 alone. According to FAIR, the 1.45 million illegal migrants and their children in New York already cost taxpayers nearly $10 billion in 2023.

While most states report migrant-related expenses focused on emergency housing and aid, FAIR’s analysis includes the full range of state services used by illegal migrants, such as education, healthcare, law enforcement, legal costs, and welfare. This comprehensive approach reveals significant discrepancies between state reports and the estimated true costs of supporting migrants. FAIR also includes the costs of U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants, a factor often overlooked in other reports.

"As long as we continue to allow millions of people to enter the country illegally each year, the costs will inevitably increase," FAIR spokesperson Ira Mehlman told The Post. "It's just common sense—bringing in large numbers of people, many working off the books for very low wages, will lead to enormous social costs," he added.

No state has been spared from these expenses. According to FAIR, even West Virginia, which spent the least on migrant care, still incurred costs exceeding $33 million. Seven states spent less than $100 million, while half of U.S. states faced costs exceeding $100 million, with 19 states spending well over $1 billion. California led the nation, spending nearly $31 billion to care for illegal immigrants and their children, followed by Texas at more than $13 billion, Florida at more than $8 billion, and then New York and New Jersey. The total cost to American taxpayers, according to FAIR’s estimates, reached $182 billion.

While illegal migrants do contribute to tax revenue, with FAIR estimating their contributions at about $32 billion, this still leaves American taxpayers to cover the remaining $150 billion in costs.

"The argument that illegal aliens pay more in taxes than they consume in services is entirely misleading," Mehlman said.

Since 2017, the cost of illegal immigration to U.S. taxpayers has surged by about $35 billion, FAIR found. Between March 2023 and July 2024, over 1.3 million people were released into the U.S. by Customs and Border Protection, excluding those who entered undetected, known as "gotaways."

"It's an outrage to spend taxpayer money on supporting people who don't even have the legal right to be here," said Chris Clem, former Border Patrol chief of the Yuma sector in Arizona. "The federal government’s policies are allowing this to happen. All they have to do is get arrested, turn themselves in, and get released—they’re getting opportunities that you and I don't."