Under the Trump administration, immigration and border agencies have received an unprecedented windfall of nearly $170 billion in new funding, but their operations have also come at a major cost to the taxpayer, according to newly released data.
The cost of a single enforced deportation is $18,245, the Department of Homeland Security announced on Wednesday. Last year, the figure was just over $17,000.
The agency announced the statistics while touting its CBP Home process, which offers a $2,600 stipend to migrants willing to self-deport, arguing the program saves taxpayers thousands of dollars.
During the president’s first year in office, there were more than 675,000 deportations, and an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations.
The Trump administration’s military-style deportation crackdowns have also caused major expenditures and economic disruptions in cities across the country, most recently Minneapolis.
open image in galleryThe ongoing Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota is costing $18 million every week, according to an estimate from the think tank North Star Policy Action.
The estimate factors in the immediate cost of paying the more than 2,000 agents on the ground to carry out the operation, as well as knock-on costs like lodging and meals, local police overtime, and lost economic activity.
“Given the violence inflicted on individuals and communities, it may feel insensitive to discuss the consequences of Operation Metro Surge in economic terms,” the authors of the report wrote. “The human cost is immense and must remain at the forefront of public concern. Nevertheless, there is also a clear and significant economic cost that can no longer be ignored.”
That accords with a similar steep price tag for operations in other cities.
open image in galleryThe administration’s crackdown in Chicago, which began over the fall, has cost more than $59 million, the Chicago Tribune estimated.
The scope of immigration operations is only expected to increase in the coming years due to the increase in the Homeland Security budget.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has used perks like a signing bonus up to $50,000 to attract scores of new applicants, and the tactic appears to be paying off: the number of ICE agents doubled in less than a year, Stateline found, with roughly 12,000 new agents joining the force out of 220,000 applicants.
