Trump deportations cost Mass. taxpayers $3,200 each on average
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Massachusetts taxpayers will end up paying over $3,200 each on average for President Trump's mass deportation push, according to a new calculator tool from the Economic Policy Institute.
- And taxpayers in one town will pay tenfold.
Why it matters: The estimate fuels debate over whether billions of federal dollars devoted to deportations should instead fund other public priorities such as food assistance, health care or housing.
Context: The $268.9 billion the Trump administration is slated to spend in Trump's second term on deportations is funded by a mix of money from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, budget reconciliation bills, regular appropriations and other repurposed funds.
- DHS previously told Axios in July that the government spends roughly $18,000 per non-voluntary deportation.
By the numbers: EPI estimates Massachusetts taxpayers altogether will end up paying nearly $8.8 billion for deportations.
- The left-leaning think tank suggests that could instead fund over 3.7 million additional SNAP recipients during the remaining 2.5 years of Trump's term, per National Priorities Project data.
- What else could it fund instead? Public housing for 300,000 households, Medicaid for over 287,000 or medical care for over 126,000 veterans.
1 stunning stat: Deportation enforcement would cost Weston taxpayers over $34,000 each on average.
- The closest cost per taxpayer was Wellesley at over $22,000, followed by Newton at nearly $12,000.
What they're saying: "I don't think people realize how much money is being spent on these mass deportations," Gordon Lafer, a professor at the University of Oregon's Labor Education and Research Center and research associate at EPI, tells Axios.
- "In almost every place in the country, there are a lot of people who are struggling to not be hungry, to have affordable housing, kids are in overcrowded classrooms, people don't have health insurance, and those are the things that matter most."
The other side: A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson blamed the Biden administration in a statement to Axios for ignoring the costs of illegal immigration and said the administration's self-deportation program saves taxpayers money.
- The spokesperson encouraged undocumented immigrants to use the CBP Home app, saying the U.S. offers a free flight and a $2,600 stipend to self-deport.
Between the lines: EPI estimated each area's share of federal income taxes to calculate how much taxpayers in each state, county and city would contribute toward deportation spending.
- Many undocumented immigrants also pay taxes, but it's unclear how many are captured in the IRS data cited by EPI.
- Massachusetts is home to an estimated 151,000 undocumented immigrants, per data from mid-2023 compiled by the American Immigration Council, which estimates they pay roughly $929 million in federal taxes.
What's next: If Congress approves additional funding through the appropriations process or other avenues, total deportation spending would increase.