Immigration on the southern border is breaking records and costing states and localities billions of taxpayer dollars. During a hearing Thursday, Jan. 11, a House Judiciary subcommittee explored the impacts illegal immigration is having on social services.
As an example, the Eagle Pass Fire Department in Texas responded to more than 9,000 calls in 2023, approximately 10% of which were migrant related.
According to the chief, those migrant-related calls cost the department an additional $15,000 to $18,000 a day. The added costs include personnel and a new ambulance solely dedicated to the border. Firefighters often respond to medical emergencies and drownings in the Rio Grande.
“These body recoveries include men, women, and children ranging from two months to 15 years old,” Eagle Pass Fire Department Chief Manuel Mello said. “As a witness to many incidents, I am here to tell you we are being overwhelmed with EMS calls and body recoveries.”
Republicans also pointed to the costs and impacts on education.
On Wednesday, New York City officials moved 3,500 students at James Madison High School in Brooklyn to remote learning so the facility could be used as a storm shelter for immigrants.
Mayor Eric Adams, D, announced the city had spent nearly $1.5 billion providing for asylum-seekers in fiscal year 2023 as of August. That total includes money for food, shelter and other services.
Adams projected that the city could spend as much as $12 billion over fiscal years 2023, ’24 and ’25.
Republicans blame the Biden administration’s lax enforcement policies.
“Now this crisis is not because of incompetence. This is the deliberate policy of this administration,” Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., said.
According to Democrats, immigrants help drive the economy by paying an estimated $7 billion in sales and excise taxes, $3.6 billion in property taxes and $1.1 billion in personal income taxes every year.
“Immigrants do not hurt the economy,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. said. “What hurts us are antiquated laws that require the detention of lawful asylum-seekers and inefficient and arbitrary waiting periods for work authorization.”
Federal law requires asylum-seekers to wait 180 days to receive a work authorization. Democrats contend that applicants would be able to better provide for themselves if they could work immediately, which would require a change to immigration law.
“It is absurd to say that immigrants are a drain on the economy,” Jayapal said. “Study after study have proven that the U.S. economy is driven by immigrants, both documented and undocumented.”
Nearly 2.5 million migrants were caught illegally crossing into the United States in fiscal year 2023, a yearly record. Approximately 270,000 were apprehended crossing in September, a monthly record.
Reports indicate that record was broken in December, but the official numbers have not been released.
