Staff Reports
President Trump has once again donned his superhero cape, this time to rescue the American taxpayer from the stranglehold of bureaucratic waste and illegal immigration. He signed a new executive order aimed at ensuring that taxpayer dollars are not funneled into the pockets of those who have crossed the border illegally. With a swift stroke of the pen, he has tasked federal agencies with the monumental job of identifying and eliminating financial programs currently lavishing benefits on illegal immigrants. In the age of fiscal responsibility, this is a move that should resonate with every hardworking American watching their dollars vanish faster than they can say “unchecked immigration.”
The figures surrounding illegal immigration costs are nothing short of staggering. A White House fact sheet suggests that American taxpayers shell out billions every year just trying to keep up with the burden of illegal immigrants who have poured into the country since 2021. Though welfare programs are technically off-limits to those here illegally according to the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, there exists a loophole. If an illegal immigrant is granted parole, they become “qualified aliens,” granting them access to various welfare perks that gradually escalate into full benefits within five years—because obviously, the perfect plan to incentivize illegal immigration is to reward it.
The Center for Immigration Studies has crunched the numbers and found that extending welfare benefits to just one million illegal immigrants could cost taxpayers an additional $3 billion annually. That’s $3 billion that could otherwise be spent on American families, infrastructure, and perhaps even a few tax cuts for the people whose hard work keeps this country running. Meanwhile, the estimations from the House Homeland Security Committee suggest that taxpayers could be on the hook for as much as $451 billion to care for not only illegal immigrants but also those who have evaded capture—an expense that feels more like a bad joke than reality.
Further complicating the matter, the Federation for American Immigration Reform has reported that American taxpayers currently spend at least $182 billion each year to support the presence of about 20 million illegal aliens and their offspring. This includes roughly $66.5 billion in federal costs, plus an awe-inspiring $115.6 billion at the state and local levels. This situation leads one to ponder: when did it become acceptable for American taxpayers to foot the bill for people who blatantly disregard immigration laws?
Trump Signs Executive Order Ending the 'Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders'
https://t.co/B9afwKnAyc— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 20, 2025
It doesn’t stop there. The Congressional Budget Office highlighted that the Biden Administration’s open borders agenda, which has conveniently prioritized Medicaid-funded emergency services for illegal aliens, has cost taxpayers upwards of $16.2 billion. A staggering total that might make one question whether taxpayer dollars are supposed to work for American citizens or for those trooping across the border.
What compounds this issue of flagrant spending is the revelation that the current administration has doled out billions to left-wing groups, enabling and facilitating mass illegal migration—definitely a winning strategy for maintaining border security. Moreover, over the past couple of years, more than $1 billion has been directed through FEMA to assist illegal aliens. President Trump’s executive order stands as a beacon of hope aimed at prioritizing those who play by the rules; a motion toward restoring sanity to a system that has often veered deep into madness. The assertion made was clear: taxpayer resources should defend American citizens and ensure that those truly in need, such as individuals with disabilities and veterans, receive the assistance they deserve instead of seeing their benefits eroded by a system designed to cater to illegal immigrants.
