When those in America illegally have babies, who should bear the burden? The question of birthright citizenship is a hot button issue, with persuading arguments on both sides of the dispute. While it might be easy, on the surface, to agree that anyone born here should be a citizen, there are other matters to consider. That may seem silly, until you read the preliminary report from the Center for Immigration Studies that shows a quarter million babies were born to illegal migrants in 2023 alone – and it cost the American taxpayers billions.
Migrants Have an American Baby Boom
On Friday, January 24, the agency announced its preliminary findings: There were between 225,000 to 250,000 births in the US to illegal immigrants in 2023, accounting for about 7% of all births in the nation that year. To spell that out in blunt terms, the group said: “Up to a quarter million births to illegal immigrants is hardly trivial. It appears to be more than the number of births to legal noncitizens, and it is greater than the total number of births in all but two states taken individually. Although not yet available, the 2024 numbers are likely to be even higher.”
Okay, so we’ve got the numbers, but what does that mean in terms of what the American people shell out each year to support these births? A 2023 cost study conducted by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) highlights some alarming numbers.
At the beginning of 2023, “the net cost of illegal immigration for the United States – at the federal, state, and local levels – was at least $150.7 billion.” FAIR obtained those numbers by subtracting what illegal migrants paid in tax revenues, which was just under $32 billion, from the gross negative economic impact of illegal immigration, $182 billion. Now, in 2017, the estimated cost was around $116 billion, meaning in just five years, the cost to US citizens increased by $35 billion. Breaking it down a little bit more, that means American taxpayers were on the hook for an additional $1,156 per year ($957 after factoring in taxes paid by illegal immigrants).
Here are a few more highlights from the 2023 report by FAIR:
Each illegal alien or US-born child of illegal aliens cost the U.S. $8,776 annually.
Evidence shows that tax payments by illegal aliens cover only around a sixth of the costs they create at all levels in this country.
A large percentage of illegal aliens who work in the underground economy frequently avoid paying any income tax at all.
Many illegal aliens actually receive a net cash profit through refundable tax credit programs.
Furthermore, “The approximately $66.4 billion in federal expenditures attributable to illegal aliens is staggering, and constitutes an increase of 45 percent since 2017. This amounts to roughly $3,187 per illegal alien, per year.”
Liberty Nation News reported in May last year that the US fertility rate dropped by 3% from 2022, which was, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics, a historic low. Some argue that because of this, adding illegal immigrant births will help those numbers. Demographer Kristie Wilder of the US Census Bureau told USA Today in December 2023, “Although births declined, this was tempered by the near 9% decrease in deaths.”
Immigration has helped grow the nation’s population, but the cost of illegal migrants to the American people should also be taken into consideration. During a House Budget Committee in May 2024, Julie Kirchner, the executive director of FAIR, provided testimony on the financial responsibility to the US for illegal immigrants, which she said is due to several factors. “First, because illegal aliens usually have low incomes, those who do pay taxes pay little, if anything,” she explained. “Second, illegal aliens incur significant costs to the taxpayer on a daily basis, because public services such as policing, K-12 education, emergency services, etc., are provided universally.” Kirchner also said that many illegal migrants also receive benefits from federal, state, and local jurisdictions, “despite the fact that they have no legal status.” She added:
“The majority of costs are incurred at the state and local level. The predominant cost at the state and local level is K-12 education of the children of illegal aliens, which costs taxpayers roughly $70 billion each year. This estimate covers the education of children with no legal status and U.S.-born children. The second highest expenditure for illegal aliens at the state level is medical expenditures, which we estimate to be approximately $22 billion annually. This figure includes costs attributable to uncompensated medical care, improper Medicaid payouts, Medicaid for citizen children of illegal aliens, and certain state laws that provide Medicaid coverage for illegal aliens.”
Congressman Brian Babin (R-TX) introduced The Birthright Citizenship Act and said in a press release last week:
“According to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), one out of every ten births in the United States is to an illegal immigrant mother. Additionally, nearly 400,000 expectant mothers cross the border illegally each year intending to give birth in the United States. Once granted automatic citizenship, these children can initiate chain migration, opening pathways for extended family members to gain legal residency. This practice has also fueled a global birth tourism industry, which takes advantage of the current loophole in U.S. immigration laws.”
With an estimated quarter million births to illegal immigrants in the US in 2023, the question of birthright citizenship becomes even more involved when we see the burden of cost put onto the American people. Combine just the price tag for childbirth with the other costs related to illegal migrants such as financial aid, education, medical care, and so forth, that is just another incentive for denying automatic citizenship to children of illegal migrants.
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