Why Mass Deportation Won’t Work
- Olivia
- Nov 16, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 24, 2024
Donald J. Trump was recently re-elected as president of the United States. One of the hallmark’s of his campaign was his promise to execute a large-scale deportation project. In reality a mass deportation scheme is largely impractical and will have more negative consequences than benefits.
First, let’s examine this issue from an economic perspective. Illegal immigrants are positively contributing through paying tax dollars. According to a recent study conducted by the Institution of Taxation and Economic Policy, “Undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022… [and] Under a scenario where work authorization is provided to all current undocumented immigrants, their tax contributions would rise by $40.2 billion per year to $136.9 billion. Most of the new revenue raised in this scenario ($33.1 billion) would flow to the federal government...” (ITEP) This essentially proves that their laborious contributions are ultimately coming back to the United States economy and promoting growth.
Contrary to some beliefs illegal immigrants are not criminals. A National Institution of Justice funded survey, conducted in Texas, proved that immigrant related crimes are not as big a threat as they are perceived to be. According to the study, U.S. - born citizens were much more likely to have committed drug related crimes, “...[For drug offenses] undocumented immigrants were less than half as likely to be arrested as native-born U.S. citizens. Moreover, the drug crime arrest rate for the undocumented population held steady throughout the seven years of data, while the rate for native-born citizens increased almost 30% during that time.” (NIJ) Realizing that Texas has large immigrant populations this study proves that illegal immigrants do not pose a big threat in terms of crime.
Finally, mass deportation is extremely impractical. Firstly, it is estimated to cost 88 billion dollars annually (AIC) which would be equivalent to approximately 30% of the country's civilian federal agency spending in 2023 and more than 4 times what the department of homeland security spent in 2023. (GAO) Furthermore, from an ethical perspective it would likely separate families as there are approximately 5.1 million American children who live with at least one undocumented family member. (AIC) Additionally, it would impact communities where illegal immigrants live because suddenly these employees, friends, and neighbors are gone.
In conclusion, the mass deportation plan is incredibly unreasonable. It is ill informed due to the absent threat of immigrant related crime. It's likely an economic detriment due to its massive costs. Finally, it has grave moral and ethical consequences for families, so despite his propaganda mass deportation should not go forward.
Works Cited:
Trump’s plan for mass deportation might seem appealing to some, but it’s completely impractical and harmful. It would cost about $88 billion a year—money that could go toward education, healthcare, or infrastructure instead of removing millions of people. Undocumented immigrants already contribute significantly to the economy, paying $96.7 billion in taxes annually, and granting them legal work status could increase that by $40 billion. The stereotype that they’re dangerous criminals isn’t backed by facts, as studies show they commit fewer crimes than U.S.-born citizens, especially when it comes to drug offenses. On top of the financial and social costs, deporting millions would tear apart families, including the 5.1 million American kids who have at least one undocumented parent. Communities would…
This is really interesting, I never thought about this.😍