In 2023, roughly $150 billion in US taxpayer money was doled out for government services and support to help the 20 million illegals in the country, according to a study from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).
Most of the money was borne by state and local governments, not the feds, the NY Post reports.
In Massachusetts, Republican leaders say there’s a $1 billion hole in state coffers — and they’re accusing the Democrat-controlled government of quietly siphoning off tax dollars to deal with the migrant crisis.
On Tuesday, the state’s Republican Party filed a Freedom of Information Act request demanding Gov. Maura Healey release Massachusetts’ full migrant budget, and alleging that the true cost has been hidden from the public. -NY Post
“The Healey-Driscoll Administration has shrouded nearly $1 billion spent in secrecy, leaving Massachusetts residents in the dark,” the party’s Amy Carnevale told Fox News. “They have withheld critical information on 600 incidents involving police, fire and EMT. Blocking journalists at every turn, the administration has obstructed the flow of information to the public.”
According to FAIR, in 2023, Massachusetts taxpayers paid closer to $3 billion in state services for illegals.
In New York, the comptroller estimated that the migrant crisis would cost roughly $4.3 billion through 2025, while NYC taxpayers will be on the hook for $3 billion this year.
According to the Post, while most states’ accounts of migrant expenses look mostly at emergency housing and aid, FAIR looked at the ‘full breadth’ of state services – including education, medical expenses, law enforcement, legal costs, and welfare.
They also included the costs of US-born children of illegal immigrants.
“As long as we keep allowing millions of people to come into the country illegally every year, it’s obviously going to continue to increase the costs,” spokesperson Ira Mehlman told The Post. “This seems to be just sort of basic, common sense. If you were going to be bringing in lots and lots of people, many of them working off the books for very low wages, that there are going to be enormous social costs incurred,” he added.