The True Cost of Illegal Immigration: How America Pays the Price

The ongoing illegal immigration crisis has placed an immense burden on America’s economy and workforce, draining resources and pushing citizens out of jobs. Between 2020 and 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) spent nearly $23 billion aiding migrants, according to watchdog group Open the Books.

These grants provided migrants with benefits such as Medicaid access, auto loans, and cash assistance—luxuries many hardworking American families cannot afford.

A staggering $955 million of these grants went to the International Rescue Committee and Church World Service — both organizations with close ties to then-ORR Director Robin Dunn Marcos, raising concerns about conflicts of interest. Even more troubling, while ORR spent $12.4 billion on unaccompanied minors since 2020, an estimated 300,000 of these children have gone missing.

The surge in child s*x trafficking near the border has tripled under President Biden’s administration. Former ICE chief and Trump border czar Tom Homan pledged to rescue these children, warning, “When you lose the border, trafficking and child deaths skyrocket.”

The federal government’s reckless spending doesn’t stop there. The Department of Government Efficiency revealed that FEMA spent nearly $60 million on luxury hotel stays for illegal immigrants in just one week — a fraction of the $1.4 billion FEMA has spent on them since 2022. Meanwhile, American taxpayers foot the bill, with no relief in sight.

Adding insult to injury, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that since 2020, nearly 90% of job growth — 4.7 million jobs — has gone to immigrants, including illegal immigrants.

By contrast, American-born citizens secured only 645,000 new jobs. The Center for Immigration Studies estimates that illegal immigrants alone accounted for 60% of those jobs. Such numbers paint a clear picture of how mass immigration is displacing American workers, particularly those without college degrees.

Steven Camarota, research director at the Center for Immigration Studies, highlights the deeper societal costs, warning that the labor crisis fuels destructive behavior among unemployed American men.

“When men don’t work,” he explained, “they engage in self-destructive behaviors like drug use and crime.” Camarota points out that cheap immigrant labor has allowed employers and politicians to ignore these societal consequences, perpetuating a cycle of joblessness and despair.

This crisis, driven by open-border policies and unchecked immigration, is undermining the American dream. Our leaders must stop prioritizing illegal immigrants over hardworking American citizens. Securing the border and enforcing immigration laws is not only about national security — it’s about restoring fairness to the American economy and workforce.

Are you confident that President Trump will fix the illegal immigration crisis? Let us know in the comments!