November 13th, 2024
Illegal immigration is unresolved in our country, but mass deportations will have a devastating effect on our economy.
Data from the American Community Survey estimates the cost to deport approximately 11 million people who did not have legal status as of 2022, and the additional 2.3 million people who’ve arrived between 2023 and April of 2024 would cost about 315 billion dollars, a conservative estimate. This covers the cost of arrest, detention, and deporting, plus the fiscal impact on the labor force and the increased cost of consumer goods. Other costs, such as building the infrastructure and training people to run them are not included in this estimate. (Mass Deportation, Devastating Costs to America, its Budget, and its Economy, American Immigration Council, October 2, 2024)
Tom Homan is Trump’s pick for “Border Czar.” The former acting director of ICE, speaking at the RNC, said “I got a message to the millions of illegal aliens that Joe Biden’s released in our country. You better start packing now.”
In a CBS interview, Homan vowed to begin deporting public safety and national security threats, but upon further questioning, admitted there will be “worksite enforcement operations,” which may include deporting the worker’s families with them. (Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan for Undocumented Immigrants Could Cost Billions a Year, CBS news, Cecilia Vega, October 27, 2024)
If you’re worried about the cost of groceries now, get ready for higher prices when the workers are deported, with no quick replacements.