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..
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