Contrary To Media Claims, Deporting Illegal Alien Criminals Will Save Taxpayers More Than It Costs

The Federalist ^ | December 30, 2024 | John R Lott Jr

[JohnRLott]

The testimony before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, American Immigration Council (AIC) estimates that there is an annual cost of $88 billion to deport one million illegal aliens each year. That breaks down to $7 billion for arrests, $66 billion for detentions, $12.6 billion to go through the legal process, and $2.1 billion to transport deportees out of the country. It works out to $88,000 per deportee, but the council claims this is a “highly conservative estimate.” They conclude there is “a total cost of $967.9 billion over the course of more than a decade.”

But looking at the per deportee costs over recent years show a cost that is less than one-sixth of what the AIC estimates. Advocacy organizations such as AIC are out to create shock-value numbers. . . .

The costs of crime are roughly at least 21 times higher than deportation costs....

[OrioleFan]

Send the bill to Obama and Biden’s personal estates.

[SMARTY]

Write it in a big red crayon...cause neither one of these clowns has ever seen a bill

[jerod]

All cost associated with an illegal alien should be charged back to their originating country.

That amount can be easily deducted from any funds the United States typically sends to these third world despots in the form of aid, or other financial support.

[JJBookman]

...send the illegals to Zero and Brandon’s personal estates.

[adorno]

The testimony before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, American Immigration Council (AIC) estimates that there is an annual cost of $88 billion to deport one million illegal aliens each year.

Each year? $88 billion per year?

the estimate is likely high and meant to scare people into not wanting to carry out the deportation.

But, the 'each year' part is nonsense, since illegal migrants would be lower after the initial year of deportations. After the potential migrants notice that they would be deported soon after being caught, they'd hesitate to even make the trip to the U.S., and so, the numbers of illegals would drop, and perhaps hugely. The cost after the initial deportation year would be a lot less, and drop each succeeding year.

[SpaceBar]

Doesn’t even address intangibles.

How much is a family wiped out on the highway by an illegal ‘worth’?

[lowbridge]

On Twitter one liberal railing against deportation complained how deporting illegals will cost us millions.

I replied, pointing out that keeping them here is costing us billions.

She blocked me.

[Skybird]

Use Air Force military assets (e.g. C-17 and C-130 aircraft) for transportation and write it off as “training flights.” A win-win proposition.

[CodeToad]

Dumb conclusions.

[Magic Fingers]

“Doesn’t even address intangibles.
How much is a family wiped out on the highway by an illegal ‘worth’?”

Precisely. It’s NOT just a profit/loss issue...that’s a distraction raised by those who want them here. Removing illegal invaders from our country - and preventing more from entering - is mandatory for many reasons that go far beyond the dollar cost. They need to be gone regardless of the price.

[T.B. Yoits]

Costs?

It can pay for itself.

Publicly deport the first few planeloads to Afghanistan, Ukraine, Haiti, etc. and watch the rest self-deport. It can be like a reverse lottery - spin the wheel and find out where you're getting deported to. People can place their bets online.

We have no obligation to return these invaders to their last suspected country.

[Tell It Right]

Good idea.

Another one would be to get the Army Corp of Engineers to compete with the Navy Seabees on who could build the most human launching catapults aimed at the southern border. Call it team building exercises.

[rdcbn1]

It really does not matter how much it costs

We are spending hundreds of billions to NGOs to import the illegals and to support them on welfare.

The illegal alien business is becoming a way to fund the Left with billions to execute their agenda for America.

Shutting down the fraudulent illegal immigrant industry starves the Left and NGOs of one of their primary sources of government funding while funding a corresponding deportation industry that funds opposition to Leftists and also undercuts lobbyist opposition to deportation.

A lot of groups like the airlines have become dependent on transport of illegal aliens and flights chronically filled to capacity using illegal aliens allows airlines to jack the prices for tickets up to obscene levels.

[MayflowerMadam]

It’s not about saving money. It’s about saving the American culture, saving lives, and restoring patriotism.

[JohnRLott]

Please read the article. It actually goes through and explains the issues that you are raising.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Start with the criminals. Then go after the rest, most of whom we just might have a use for. Trump offered to let them stay provided they’d never vote. Democrats wouldn’t play.
That word ‘comprehensive’ was their answer to all questions.

[adorno]

Please read the article. It actually goes through and explains the issues that you are raising.

I read the article.

It doesn't address the fact that the number of illegals coming into the country would be diminished, thereby reducing the number of potential deportees, thereby reducing the cost of deportations. Fewer people coming in means fewer deportations each year, and the numbers dwindle down the line for each year, when the potential illegal migrants decided that it's not worth the trip if they're going to be deported almost as soon as they arrive.

And the article doesn't address the cost of maintaining the illegals, which could come to trillions of dollars for the nex 10 years, and those costs would include medical care, and housing, and education of the children, and food assistance and transportation assistance, and the most dreaded of all, the costs to handle the crimes that so many of them create. Not to mention the costs associated with the displaced American workers who would for some time need government assistance until they find other work.

[packrat35]

Even, if true, if we keep it up, the eventual cost is zero.

[packrat35]

I disagree. I want the fear to be immediate for ALL of the Illegals here in the US. Deport any and all you find, no matter what else they are charged with.