WASHINGTON, D.C. — Later this week the Trump administration is expected to ask Congress for more than $6 billion to fund immigration enforcement and deportation efforts outlined in recent executive orders.
That funding would go toward increased interior enforcement, construction of a border wall and other measures.
By itself, targeting unauthorized workers for deportation could prompt a $5 trillion loss in gross domestic product over a decade, the National Bureau of Economic Research estimates.
Department of Homeland Security memos regarding the cost of two of the immigration-related executive orders, on border policies and interior immigration enforcement, show that the administration will consider nearly all undocumented immigrants enforcement priorities.
“Taxpayers are facing a double hit here,” said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. “We should not spend billions on indiscriminate immigration enforcement and deportations that, down the road, will only hurt American workers even more.
“Members of Congress face a choice. Do they want to fund the instability that will ensue among American communities and businesses as a result of these executive orders? We urge them instead to seek plans that benefit American workers, align with our shared values, facilitate business growth and allow law enforcement to prioritize serious threats to community safety.”