Posted on 11/28/2018 7:24:27 AM PST by gattaca
America’s big heart in welcoming tens of thousands of refugees and asylum seekers from war torn and disaster-ravaged nations comes with a huge cost that is choking taxpayers — and barely making a dent in the worldwide refugee crisis, according to a new report.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform Monday put the five-year price tag at $8.8 billion in federal and state costs, or nearly $80,000 per refugee. There are some 18 federal and state programs refugees can tap for financial help, including food stamps, child care, public housing and school loans.
On a yearly average, it is $1.8 billion, or $15,900 per refugee. Included in that are enormous refugee resettlement costs such as $867 million in welfare, housing assistance and education.
That is nearly five times the pay for a private in the Army Reserve.
What’s more, said the FAIR study provided to Secrets, 50 percent of refugees remain on Medicaid for five years.
“Most of this cohort arrives here without financial resources and possessing few marketable job skills. And the American taxpayer is being asked to feed, clothe and shelter them, in addition to funding job training programs,” said the report titled “ The Fiscal Cost of Resettling Refugees in the United States.”
Dan Stein, president of the immigration reform group, said an alternative should be providing temporary help near where the refugees live and eventually repatriating them.
The study of Office of Refugee Resettlement and other data is one of the most extensive done on the costs of refugees. It notes that despite the high costs, the U.S. only helps a tiny percentage of those seeking refugee.
With the U.S accepting lower refugee numbers under President Trump, who has set a cap of about 45,000 a year, there are still millions in need. FAIR said there is a population of some 65 million refugees in the world.
The U.S. has admitted over 3.5 million people since 1980 and 96,900 refugees just in the last year in 2016.
“Unlike immigration policy — where the objective should be to admit people who are most likely to contribute — refugee and asylum admissions are humanitarian programs and we accept that there will be costs associated. The U.S. must remain committed to its role as a world leader in helping refugees, but we must also recognize that relocating refugees to this country is by far the most expensive alternative, and a financial commitment that lasts decades or more,” said Stein.
The FAIR study also looked at how refugees make out once they settle into the United States, and found that on average they earn about $11 an hour after five years, producing far less in income tax than services to them cost.
FAIR’s Numbers:
The cost per refugee to American taxpayers just under $79,600 every year in the first five years after a refugee is resettled in the U.S. In 2016, the State Department spent nearly $545 million to process and resettle refugees, including $140,389,177 on transportation costs. Of the $1.8 billion in resettlement costs, $867 billion was spent on welfare alone. In their first five years, approximately 54 percent of all refugees will hold jobs that pay less than $11 an hour. $71 million will be spent to educate refugees and asylum-seekers, a majority of which will be paid by state and local governments. Over five years, an estimated 15.7 percent of all refugees will need housing assistance, which is roughly $7,600 per household in 2014 dollars. Stein added that refugees also put new national security and public safety costs on to taxpayers. “We are entering an era in which resettlement in the United States or other nations is simply inadequate to address the displacement of people due to conflict, overpopulation, environmental disasters, or the collapse of civil societies in many countries. Instead, the international emphasis will have to be on providing temporary refuge and protection in or near people’s homes with the goal of safely repatriating them,” Stein said.
They get way more in welfare than that.
The welfare office secretary here quit after calculating her 40 hr/wk job and what the welfare clients were getting. They were paid much more sitting on their butts just from welfare (not counting housing, education, etc.) than she was working.
On fix it was reported that detained teenagers were costing us $1200 per day.
These parasites come into our country and they are given Eighty Grand plus in benefits while Americans who have worked there entire lives are required to wait 66 and a half years to collect money back in the form of Social Security. The money was stolen from them in the first place.
Its very hard to love this government with the stupid crap they do. Put Americans Last is Washington’s game.
And that is why President Trump says the refugees need to be vetted. If there's little chance they can become productive here in the US, we don't want them. Yes that's harsh. But so is the gvt taking $15,900 per year per refugee from my pocket.
The solution is to have a pot of money to be used for all types of welfare...for US citizens and illegals. Once the pot is gone, there is no more. America does not have unlimited resources for welfare and needs to cap it. This thinking caused the debt to grow uncontrollable. That will change the view of many about letting more illegals into the country.
Here in Los Angeles we pay over 12K a year for public education. With two kids that’s 25K a year right there. For a K-12 education that’s about 325K. I wonder if any immigrant has ever repaid that paying taxes?
Send the bill to Whoraldo Rivera and the commies in Hollywood.
If lib pukes can gofund Blasé-Fraud then let them
fund the illegales (who also come from China and elsewhere)
This is the whole idea. Undermine and compromise America in every direction until it’s destroyed. Divide the once united. Attack it’s founders, it’s language, customs, holidays, attack and tear down it’s memorials and it’s sovereignty until it’s dead.
Time to turn the tide. Start advertising to the American public that is on the dole that they probably get less benefits because we spend so much on illegals. See if they vote dem the next time.
Even legal immigration must be halted, at least temporarily...say for 2 years, until this immigration mess can be controlled.
Your tax dollars at work no wonder democrats keep jacking them up.
Good idea. Also, a proposed federal tax on income from any source, designated for the support of each and every immigrant into this country. Additionally, any federal money going to universities, religious organizations and other institutions pushing for this invasion of America will be cut in half, or eliminated, to accommodate the unfunded immigrants who will be flooding into this Republic. The idea is to get publicity for the reality of the cost to the individual Americans who pay for the generosity of those who are promoting this invasion. Maybe the free riders in this country will feel some concern about their future livelihoods which might involve having to work for their living.
It is NOT big heartedness or generosity. It's vote buying and demographic shaping. That's all.
"The cost per refugee to American taxpayers just under $79,600 every year..."
See what happens when you stop subscribing to newspapers?
They can't afford editors any more.
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