Posted on 09/12/2007 8:29:51 PM PDT by LouAvul
It would cost at least $94 billion to find, detain and remove all 12 million people believed to be staying illegally in the United States, the federal government estimated Wednesday.
Julie Myers, the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, gave the figure during a hearing before a Senate committee Wednesday.
She acknowledged it was based on "very rough calculations."
An ICE spokesman later said the $94 billion did not include the cost of finding illegal immigrants, nor court costs -- dollar amounts that are largely unknowable.
He said the amount was calculated by multiplying the estimated 12 million people by the average cost of detaining people for a day: $97. That was multiplied by the average length of detention: 32 days.
ICE officials also considered transportation costs, which average $1,000 per person.
But that amount can vary widely, the spokesman said. Some deportees are simply driven by bus across the border, while others must take charter planes to distant countries, he said.
Finally, the department looked at personnel costs, bringing the total to roughly $94 billion.
The statistic is likely to become one more piece of fodder in the heated debate between the Bush administration -- which has fought for a "path to citizenship" for people who have lived peaceably in the United States -- and those who want to see more aggressive enforcement of immigration laws, up to, and including, the deportation of all illegal immigrants.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Sounds like a bargain! Let’s do it!
I’m sure this will be repeated by many Freepers, but what did the government calculate is the cost of KEEPING illegal immigrants in the country? Total up the welfare, social security, and ER visits. I’d bet its WAAAAAY more than 100 billion per YEAR.
Best $100 billion we could ever spend.
Cut ALL benefits to illegals ... Jail and heavily fine anyone who knowingly employees an illegal ... poof problem gone
Result of the failure of every American public serpent and President in the last 40 years.
All of them. Even my idol Ronald Reagan, who gave them amnesty and didn’t secure the borders.
The better question is what do we do now?
Of course I can fly across the country coach class for $350. But it would be money well spent regardless.
Just fine the employers and they will go home on their own. And if it takes 1 trillion dollars to deport the rest, so be it.
How dare you try to shake me down, you bureaucratic @sshole! Do yer GD job and send me the bill. That’s how we did the Manhattan Project and that’s how we’ll do this.
Catching and deporting the first few thousand will be costly, but once the word is out we are determined to oust them, many more will head back to their home lands or stay there without costing us $$.
That's like saying, "We can't fight this war to take over our country because it might cost too much! Where is the, "Oh jeeeez." guy?
Just pretend it's another Katrina.
This is typical liberal figurin’ ... start rounding them up in hot trucks and placing them in fenced holding camps along the border and their relatives will keep them cool via the wind they make as they rush back into Mexico! Round up two-hundred thousand and the remiander will leave or turn themselves in for work registries.
well I guess that settles it, I always thought we should enforce our immigration laws but if it will be difficult or expensive I guess I will change my mind, lrts go ahead and let them all in , I guess they are coming anyway
I like your solution. Also—change the law—NO ANCHOR BABIES!
Bingo Squared!
At the risk of sounding like a liberal who says things like "we spend billions on Iraq but some chilruns are starving and have no health care in America", I'll say this...
We have the money and the means. What we don't have is the desire and the will. Both sides of the Big Gubmint two party system want the border open. The Big Gubmint GOP types want the cheap labor for their cohorts in big business and the Socialist left wants the new Dem voters hungry for more entitlement programs.
I don’t understand why we don’t just make the penalty for being in the country illegal... three years hard work building a great wall of china type fence on our southern border....
And if someone wants citizenship, and is willing to build the wall, learn english and qualify themselves to become one of us...give them the chance as well..
you want to make them fly coach? are you a cruel bigot or what? you can get blood clots from flying coach. you might as well just go out and shoot them
I’m sure we can detain them as long as you want for the low, low introductory price of only $49.95 a day. Not only that, but when you decide to stop paying the $49.95/day, we’ll settle for only $499.95. No need to hassle with returning anything. Keep whats left of ‘em as our gift. Sound like a deal? Hey, the judicial system doesn’t even need to be involved. /sarcoff
This is BS.
All that needs to be done is prosecute all the employers that have multiple employees on one social security number. The illegals will leave on their own when the jobs dry up.
That's a great great question! Thanks.
Go for it big time.
Cut ALL benefits to illegals end the anchor baby BS ... Jail and heavily fine anyone who knowingly employees an illegal ... land mine a 100 yard “no mans zone between two walls at the border ... poof problem gone
Spend it !!
I’ll even check a little box on my tax return to send in more to replenish the fund!
A bargain.
Git 'er done! (...and make sure the fence is built so we don't have to do it again!)
there’d be mass insurrection.
How about we trade the illegals to Russia for oil, they want more people???
Problem solved within 12 months.
just today I was at the bank and some lady at the window next to me speaking broken spanglish with about six kids in tow,( and those six will each have six while americans have abortions) pulled out a handfull of fresh ID cards, they sure looked fake from where I was standing, the cheap copy social security card with no watermarks in the field and wrong color blue ink really stood out, or they could just use their "foot in the door" kids SSN
I’ll help with the collection and consider it a service to my entire community.
DiFi could give up her $4b earmark for a park in West LA.
Money well spent. And the beauty of it, is that they won’t have to spend even half that. they will start hightailing out as soon as we start getting serious and deporting the first couple million...
Yeah, what's the federal budget now? 5 Trillion or something? 500 Billion can be made up in not giving benefits to illegal aliens, it pays for itself.
And it will be worth every last dime.So lets get it done.
That would take care of all of those who work for corps, and leave us with the criminals and welfare cases. Why not start with the bad actors, instead?
There’s way more illegals here than 12 million. That really messes up the calculations!
Bogus propaganda. “Detain and remove”, LMAO!!!
It would cost NOTHING to get rid of them if they left of their own volition:
1. Build a long, strong, effective border fence.
2. Increase border patrols and assure that agents have real enforcment power. (No “catch and release”, etc.)
3. DENY illegal aliens access to any government services, including schools. Require mandatory, automatic deportation of any illegal alien who ATTEMPTS to ACCESS any government service, whether such service is federal, state, or local. (Note: The only exception would be dire-emergency medical treatment, followed immediately [after sufficient recovery time] by mandatory, automatic deportation.)
4. REQUIRE a MANDATORY jail sentence for any illegal alien found to be holding fraudulent identification, followed by mandatory, automatic deportation. (Note: Lengthier jail sentences would be MANDATORY for the “identity theft” of living American citizens.)
5. Require fines and criminal proceedings against any employer (including company officers and responsible hiring personnel) who knowingly hires and employs illegal aliens. Jail for repeat offenders.
6. “Anchor babies” (babies born to illegal alien parents) are to be DENIED citizenship, and are to be immediately deported along with their parents. (Note: This provision should be made retroactive for existing “anchor babies”, up to an age to be debated.)
7. All law enforcement officers (federal, state, or local) who IN THE COURSE OF THEIR NORMAL DAILY LAW ENFORCEMENT DUTIES become aware of an illegal alien’s status are REQUIRED to notify the appropriate federal authorities immediately and hold that alien in custody for up to two days (sufficient time for federal authorities to take custody and deport).
8. Make English the “official” national language and require that everyone who applies for residency status or citizenship (and their school-age minor dependents) demonstrate some level of proficiency in the national language.
(Note: Jail sentences noted in the provisions above MUST be MANDATORY MINIMUM sentences in order to avoid “end runs” by liberal activist Democrat judges.)
The above eight provisions, if passed, would largely solve the illegal alien problem. Illegals would disappear BY ATTRITION since they would be: a) unemployable without proper authorization, b) unable to access government welfare and other services, c) unable to enroll their illegal alien children in government schools, and d) unable to use the despicable “anchor baby” ploy.
Many, if not most, illegal aliens will return to their countries of origin voluntarily once it is clear to them that there is little reason to remain in the US.
**** Note: No logistically burdensome and expensive “roundup” of 12 million-plus illegal aliens is required, recommended, or even necessary. Illegal aliens would disappear by ATTRITION. Therefore, the “red herring” argument that it would be “impossible to deport all 20 million illegal aliens” becomes moot. ****
Meanwhile, reasonable LEGAL immigration laws (including a “guest worker” program) should be streamlined, strictly controlled, and RELENTLESSLY ENFORCED in order to address the legitimate needs of U.S. employers.
It didn’t cost the gov’t anything for them to get here. Just enforce the laws and they will go home on their own.
Worth every dime!
Based on a population of 300 million, that’s $333.33 per person. I’ll pay my share.
High five!
Apply the same tax laws to them that are applied to John Public Citizen and the IRS will find them much cheaper and quicker.
The cost of finding ILLEGAL aliens is largely unknowable?
Ya mean the SSA won't tell ICE how much they want for the information (names, addresses, employers' names, employers' addresses) that the SSA has in its Earnings Suspense File? That will find the millions and millions working "on the books" with bogus, stolen SSN's and IRS individual ID numbers. The SSA has another file for the ones working ILLEGALLY on "no work" SSNs.
Wow, those federal agencies can be mean to each other.
The is nonsense. Stop all public assistance, cancel all driver licenses, remove their kids from our schools and stop employers from hiring them. Won’t cost nothing. They’ll go home.
What’s the big deal. This is only $20 billion per year over 5 years.
Put a 40% tax on wire funds transfers between u.s. and mexican banks. Program paid for.
Note to ICE: Stop the BS, no one believes this government anymore.
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