Taxpayers bear the true cost of illegal immigration
OPINION — In a recent letter, Mary Jo Forman accused those concerned about illegal immigration of using immigrants as a "punching bag" and suggested we focus on other issues. While Forman points out that immigrants participate in the labor force and purchase goods, their economic summary paints a highly misleading picture by entirely ignoring the severe financial strain placed on local municipalities.
Forman fails to recognize that the economic impact of illegal immigration is structurally unbalanced. At the federal level, the numbers may appear beneficial, but at the state and local level, cities and towns are forced to absorb the massive, unfunded costs of providing everyday public services.
When Forman praises the money spent in the economy, she omits the reality of municipal budgets. Cities must fund the most expensive practical costs of sudden population increases. This includes hiring specialized K-12 educators for English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, providing uncompensated emergency healthcare, and expanding emergency shelter and public safety services.
These localized burdens consistently outweigh the local tax revenues collected from sales and property taxes. According to a June 2025 report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the recent illegal immigration surge forced state and local governments to spend an additional $19.3 billion in 2023 alone. While the surge generated $10.1 billion in direct new local revenues, the resulting gap left local taxpayers to cover a staggering $9.2 billion net deficit in a single year.
It is not "hatred" to acknowledge basic civic math. Ignoring a multi-billion-dollar drain on local public services doesn't make the problem disappear. It simply passes the buck to local taxpayers and stretches municipal resources to the breaking point. We cannot have a realistic conversation about the economy or our quality of life without acknowledging the true localized costs of illegal immigration.
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