Immigration Reform: The True Cost Of Amnesty
The latest of the proposed immigration reform bills, one that would grant amnesty to nearly 11 million people currently living unlawfully in the United States, would lead to large fiscal costs for the United States taxpayers.
Related to the issue of immigration, the government provides its constituents four categories of relevant benefits and services: direct benefits (Social Security and Medicare), means-tested welfare benefits (Medicaid, food stamps, Earned Income Tax Credit, public housing), public education, and population-based services (police, fire, highway, and park services).
We seem to take for granted these governmental services and fail to appreciate their staggering cost. In 2010, the average American household received $31,584 in governmental benefits and services in these four categories ...
Because unlawful immigrants do not have access to means-tested welfare, Medicare, or Social Security, many people make the erroneous (or fiscally neglectful) assumption that they receive no government benefits at all. For example, they receive public education and community services, while their children (if they were born in the U.S.) have access to a myriad of governmental benefits.
In 2010, the average unlawful immigrant household received nearly $24,721 in government benefits and services, running a fiscal deficit of about $14,387. This is a cost that carries over entirely to American taxpayers ...
Geopolitically, the amnesty bill would by no means ensure that borders will be secure. In fact, the incentive of access to governmental benefits would further entice foreigners ...