Biden's immigration crisis cost $9.2 billion to states and local communities in 2023

Biden's immigration crisis cost $9.2 billion to states and local communities in 2023. So estimated the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in a recent report on the increase in illegal immigration from 2021 to 2023.

The figure adds new data to the discussion on the immigration management of the former Democratic president, one of the main causes of his defeat in the last presidential election, and on illegal immigration in general: those who defend the entry of immigrants, without distinguishing between legal and illegal channels, claim that they bring economic benefits to the country.

A revenue for state and local coffers that the CBO estimated at $10.1 billion, driven mostly by sales taxes, but insufficient to cover or exceed the spending that increased illegal immigration generated for the same coffers: $19.3 billion.

"The largest increases in costs were for primary and secondary education, shelter and related services, and border security," they wrote from the nonpartisan organization, created by Congress a half-century ago. "Costs for incarceration and income security programs also increased."

But whether to consider expenditures beyond mere fiscal addition and subtraction? The CBO also published an estimate of "potential effects," which include costs that are not reflected in increased budget spending - such as "crowding" in schools and transportation - and possible long-term effects. In that case, illegal immigration came out $9.8 billion to state and local budgets in 2023.

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