Washington, D.C. — New analysis published today by the Center for American Progress estimates that deporting all 5 million beneficiaries of executive action on immigration would cost more than $50.3 billion, or an average of $10,070 per person. Five million is the number of people that the House of Representatives funding bill for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, if enacted, would put at risk of deportation.
The factors that contribute to deportation costs are outlined in a series of charts detailing why the cost of deporting beneficiaries of the recent Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, immigration directives would likely be greater than the average cost of deportations. The beneficiaries of President Barack Obama’s executive action must have already lived in the United States for at least five years, making apprehension, legal processing, transportation, and removal of this population more complicated and more costly.
“As if the immense harm to individuals, families, and communities that would result from deporting 5 million DREAMers and their parents wasn’t enough—to say nothing of the economic harm of removing 5 million workers and consumers—$50.3 billion is a significant expenditure. It also would come on top of losing the significant future economic gains created by the president’s executive action if the beneficiaries are deported,” said Philip E. Wolgin, Associate Director of Immigration at CAP. “Those loses include $22.6 billion in payroll taxes over five years, $41 billion added to the Social Security system over one decade, and $210 billion in additional GDP growth over a decade.”
Despite constant legislative attacks to the immigration directives announced by President Obama on November 20, 2014, American voters have expressed strong support for providing a pathway to legal status for otherwise law-abiding unauthorized immigrants. Most people do not believe that the United States would have the will or the resources to deport all 5 million beneficiaries of executive action.
For more information or to speak to an expert, please contact Tanya S. Arditi at [email protected].
RELATED RESOURCES:
Administrative Action on Immigration Reform (Center for American Progress)
The Economic and Fiscal Benefits of Deferred Action (Center for American Progress)
Meet 3 Immigrants Affected By The Texas Lawsuit Blocking The President’s Executive Action (ThinkProgress)
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