Thread: To End Border Crisis, Stop Subsidizing Illegal Immigration

To End Border Crisis, Stop Subsidizing Illegal Immigration

A “big beautiful wall” may be a deterrent, but ending the welfare state could disincentivize illegal immigration.

By: Andrew Moran March 31, 2021

Illegal border crossings spiked 173% in February from the same time a year ago. Even the most conservative estimates – factoring in recidivism, omitting field office encounters, and concentrating on Border Patrol data – confirm what Republicans are handwringing about: There is a crisis at the southern U.S. border. Should the blame fall on President Joe Biden? It is easy partisan gamesmanship to point the finger at the new administration, but the real and most significant culprit for the mess unfolding today has been years of subsidizing illegal immigration at all three levels of government by both parties.

Taxpayer Subsidies For Illegals

One of the chief economic principles is that when you subsidize something, you get more of it. There is an old story about a small Italian town that was facing a viper invasion. Officials established a viper bounty they thought would eradicate the problem: pay people to kill and hand over the dead snakes. The problem was that folks began breeding these reptiles in their basements to collect the reward.

Across the United States, various jurisdictions incentivize people – directly or indirectly – from impoverished Latin American nations to venture thousands of miles and sneak across the border for an opportunity at a better life.

In 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) made his state the first in the nation to provide government-funded health benefits to low-income adults 25 years of age and younger residing in the U.S. illegally. This policy is an expansion from the previous program that gave children taxpayer-subsidized health care. The $100 million initiative was slammed by Republican lawmakers, warning that it would serve as a magnet for additional unlawful entry into the country.

Across the United States, various jurisdictions incentivize people – directly or indirectly – from impoverished Latin American nations to venture thousands of miles and sneak across the border for an opportunity at a better life.

In 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) made his state the first in the nation to provide government-funded health benefits to low-income adults 25 years of age and younger residing in the U.S. illegally. This policy is an expansion from the previous program that gave children taxpayer-subsidized health care. The $100 million initiative was slammed by Republican lawmakers, warning that it would serve as a magnet for additional unlawful entry into the country.

But federal benefits of the last 30 years have also served as appealing incentives.

Hospitals and medical clinics are required to provide health care without taking into account legal status. According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, this costs approximately $2 billion per year in emergency care and another $1.24 billion in infant delivery expenses.

While undocumented workers are ineligible for food stamps, 31% of these families with U.S.-born children use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) estimates that illegal immigrants are a net consumer of taxpayer benefits worth more than $100 billion per year. A 2010 study by the Center for Immigration Studies found that the federal government spends more than $22 billion a year on services for illegals. Even imprisoning non-citizens costs the feds roughly $1 billion a year.

Will A Wall Stop The Border Crisis?

Former President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful wall” was designed to stop the flow of illegal aliens, drugs, and sex traffickers. Despite the left championing comparable proposals for years, the Democrats suddenly frothed at the mouth over Trump’s wall – but not for the right reasons. While a border wall might prevent people from coming in, can a tyrannical government eventually use it to keep people from leaving? That said, if politicians are promising illegals the moon plus the possibility of amnesty, why wouldn’t an impecunious family from Guatemala or El Salvador take a gamble on being rewarded to leaping to the front of the line? The entire immigration system needs reforms, and dismantling the incentives could be the first step toward achieving that aim.

https://www.libertynation.com/to-end...l-immigration/

No school
No healthcare
No anchor baby
No housing
No bank accounts or loans
No job
No drivers license
No IRS tax refunds or child credits

No collecting benefits on behalf of a legal citizen, whether that citizen is a minor or otherwise.

Make them self deport.


Billions of dollars a year of OUR money that should be spent on lowering our healthcare costs and building affordable housing.