White House report puts illegal immigrant lifetime cost at $166,716

FIRST ON FOX: A new White House economic report warns that immigration policies backed by the Democratic Socialists of America could cost American taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade, as the Trump administration sounds the alarm over the potential financial consequences of mass amnesty and expanded federal benefits.

As President Donald Trump touts 16 consecutive months without illegal immigrant releases at the southern border, a Council of Economic Advisers report estimates that mass amnesty and expanded federal benefits under Democratic Socialists of America-backed immigration policies could cost taxpayers between $440 billion and $613 billion over the next decade. 

Socialist-aligned candidates have gained ground in 2026, winning key Democratic primaries and expanding their influence within the party.

“President Trump … supercharged ICE to remove criminal illegal aliens from our communities, including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members and terrorists,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital.

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“Meanwhile, radical Democrats want to go back to their extreme open border policies and grant amnesty to the illegal aliens they released into our communities. Not only will these radical policies make America less safe, but they will cost the American taxpayer billions of dollars.”

With the midterms approaching and Democrats campaigning heavily on affordability, the White House is casting the DSA’s immigration agenda as a potential financial and public safety threat — warning that its policies could compound the very cost-of-living pressures Democrats have used to hammer Republicans.

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The council’s findings go beyond the cost of mass amnesty, examining the potential impact of expanded federal benefits and reduced immigration enforcement, policies the White House warns could impose a significant financial burden on American families.

The council estimates that the average illegal immigrant carries a lifetime net fiscal cost of $166,716, with the current illegal immigrant population projected to account for between $1.4 trillion and $1.9 trillion in taxpayer costs under its model — figures the administration is highlighting as the “true costs of extreme open borders [and] mass-amnesty socialist policies.”

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The CEA’s estimated $166,716 lifetime taxpayer cost per illegal immigrant exceeds the roughly $124,000 it would cost to put a student through four years at an average in-state public university, including tuition, housing, food and other expenses, according to College Board’s 2025–26 figures — putting the figure in perspective as American families also grapple with college affordability.

The Council added that while illegal immigrants are generally prohibited from federal benefit programs, some on the left want to reverse that standard and provide subsidized healthcare and programs like food stamps to those in the country unlawfully.

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Beyond expanded federal benefits, the council estimates that ending Trump-backed immigration enforcement measures would wipe out between $227 billion and $287 billion in projected taxpayer savings, producing a net estimated cost of $79 billion to $139 billion over the next decade after accounting for reduced enforcement spending.

An interactive White House webpage released alongside the report allows Americans to explore the projected costs of “socialism” across several policy areas, with the council estimating that the Democratic Socialists of America’s broader agenda could cost $49 trillion over ten years — roughly $355,000 per American household. That sweeping projection extends far beyond immigration, which the council separately estimates could cost between $440 billion and $613 billion over the next decade.

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If the immigration policies examined in the report were implemented, the White House estimates that expanded eligibility for SNAP, federal housing assistance and Medicaid would add between $361 billion and $475 billion in federal spending over the next decade.

The report estimated that expanding federal benefits under the proposed immigration policies would add $3.6 billion to $4.7 billion in annual food stamp costs, another $2.3 billion to $3 billion in federal housing assistance, and as much as $40 billion a year in additional Medicaid spending.

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Along with the report, the White House highlighted a 73% uptick in drug interdictions through August 2026 compared with the same period in fiscal year 2024, while separately pointing to declining fentanyl-related deaths as evidence of its broader border enforcement strategy.

The administration also highlighted another key aspect of the immigration-cost paradigm that it changed — remarking that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for certain foreign-national groups “returned … to its original purpose: temporary.”

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The administration’s efforts to terminate TPS designations for certain countries have faced legal challenges, underscoring the ongoing dispute over the scope of federal immigration authority.

The administration has also moved to end certain Temporary Protected Status designations and revoke more than 250,000 visas as part of its broader immigration crackdown, measures the White House has highlighted alongside its efforts to tighten enforcement and reduce what it says are substantial taxpayer costs.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DSA for general comment on the costs associated with their immigration platform.