Illegal immigrants cost to us taxpayers in 2024

1. How advocates reach the $150–151 billion headline

Organizations such as FAIR and Republican House Budget messaging compile state and local shelter costs, federal emergency benefits, health care, education, and other services to arrive at an estimated annual fiscal burden of about $150–151 billion; FAIR’s 2023 report is cited repeatedly in media and committee releases claiming a per-taxpayer hit of roughly $1,156 before tax offsets ^{[1] [5] [3]}. Those figures are echoed by news outlets reporting analyses from groups like the Department of Government Efficiency that also summarize large one‑year price tags for local services and shelter spending in cities such as New York and Denver ^{[6] [5]}.

2. The other side: CBO and longer‑term budget effects

The Congressional Budget Office’s work frames the surge differently: it projects the immigration surge will add roughly $1.2 trillion in federal revenues over 2024–2034 and increase mandatory outlays and interest costs, but nevertheless reduce cumulative federal deficits by about $0.9 trillion over that decade, showing net fiscal benefits over time rather than a single‑year net cost ^[4]. CBO’s approach emphasizes tax contributions and lifecycle fiscal effects of immigrants and their U.S.-born children, a methodology that produces materially different conclusions than single‑year cost tallies ^{[4] [7]}.

3. Where methodology drives the numbers

Differences in conclusions trace to definitional choices and accounting windows: FAIR and similar studies often count immediate local, state, and federal expenditures associated with unauthorized residents and their dependents in a given year and subtract only some tax offsets, producing a snapshot "cost" number ^[1]. Academic and government analyses like CBO and ITEP adjust population estimates, tax payments, and long‑term fiscal flows—factoring in revenues over many years and demographic impacts—which can flip a headline cost into a net budgetary benefit over a longer horizon ^{[4] [8]}.

4. What major line items are disputed

Key disputed items include emergency Medicaid and other health spending, school enrollments and K–12 costs, local shelter and humanitarian spending, and enforcement and detention budgets; House Budget Committee releases have highlighted billions in Medicaid and state shelter costs attributed to unauthorized migrants ^{[9] [5]}. Advocacy pieces emphasize immediate fiscal pressures on cities and states ^{[6] [1]}, while policy analysts also point to substantially increased federal enforcement and border security appropriations—CBP and ICE budgets that have grown sharply over recent decades—which complicate net cost calculations depending on what is included ^[10].

5. What reporting does not settle

Existing reporting and the sources provided do not reconcile divergent methodologies into a single authoritative 2024 "cost" figure; the material shows rigorous government modeling (CBO) that favors a multi‑year perspective ^[4] and advocacy studies (FAIR, House Budget Committee, DOGE) that present large annual costs focused on immediate expenditures ^{[1] [5] [6]}. Where estimates diverge, this reporting does not allow a definitive single number without choosing a particular accounting frame.

6. Bottom line for taxpayers' question

If "cost to U.S. taxpayers in 2024" is read as a single‑year fiscal burden calculated by advocacy groups, the commonly cited figure is about $150–151 billion, or roughly $1,156 per American taxpayer before tax offsets ^{[1] [3]}. If the question is read through the lens of federal budget effects over a decade, CBO’s analysis finds the surge increases revenues and, on net, lowers projected deficits by $0.9 trillion over 2024–2034, producing a materially different assessment ^[4]. Which figure is most relevant depends on whether the focus is a one‑year snapshot of expenditures or a longer‑term budgetary balance—an important methodological choice made explicit in the sources provided.