Despite its unrealistic cost estimates, the AIC report is correct in one sense: Growing the illegal population is much easier than reducing it.
Policymakers serious about reducing the illegal population should pursue attrition through enforcement.
According to that organization’s new report, removing even 1 million illegal immigrants would cost $88 billion per year.
The AIC report also cites the loss of taxes paid by illegal immigrants, but it neglects the other side of the ledger – that is, the public benefits that illegal immigrants consume.
Illegal immigrants impose many other costs as well, including on “congestible” public goods, such as transportation, infrastructure, and law enforcement.
As my colleague Jessica Vaughan has explained, “mandatory workplace verification of immigration status; measures to curb misuse of Social Security and IRS identification numbers; partnerships with state and local law enforcement officials; expanded entry-exit recording under US-VISIT; increased non-criminal removals; and state and local laws to discourage illegal settlement” are inexpensive measures that can combine to reduce the illegal population over time.
Nothing, says the American Immigration Council (AIC, established by the American Immigration Lawyers Association as its “non-profit partner”), because deportation is too expensive.
https://cis.org/Richwine/Reducing-Size-Illegal-Population-Would-Not-Impose-Devastating-Costs
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