New Report Details Catastrophic Impact of Mass Deportation and Family Separation Plans

WASHINGTON, DC, Oct 2 – A new report released today by the American Immigration Council breaks down the catastrophic costs of a potential mass deportation and family separation plan. The findings lay out in detail how mass deportation would mean devastation and economic disaster for communities across the United States. 

“Should any president choose to pursue mass deportation, it would come at an extraordinary cost to the government while also devastating the economy,” said Jeremy Robbins, Executive Director of the American Immigration Council. “It’s critical that policymakers and the American public understand what this would involve: tens of billions of tax-payer dollars, already-strained industries devastated, millions of people locked up in detention, and thousands of families torn apart causing widespread terror and chaos in communities across the country.” 

READ THE REPORT HERE  

The report lays out how the logistical and operational costs of mass deportation would require staggering amounts of money that could be used in other ways. A one-time mass deportation operation that would remove 13.3 million immigrants without legal status would cost at least $315 billion. If the U.S. government were to instead invest in expanding the current infrastructure to a point where it could arrest, detain, process, and deport one million people a year, we estimate this would average out to $88 billion annually, for a total cost of $967.9 billion over the course of more than a decade. 

Notably, even if the government were to successfully increase deportations to one million per year, it would take over ten years to arrest, detain, process, and remove all 13.3 million targeted immigrants in the U.S. today, even presuming 20 percent left voluntarily. The U.S. government would have to build and maintain 24 times more ICE detention capacity than currently exists, including potentially thousands of new “soft-sided” detention camps. The government would also be required to establish and maintain over 1,000 new immigration courtrooms to process people at such a rate.   

“There is no way to engage in mass deportation without fundamentally changing the federal government, the national economy, and, ultimately, America itself,” said Robbins. “Any administration that pursues mass deportation of more than 3 percent of the U.S. population would be pursuing a radical and extremist vision that could break down the very fabric of our society. Rather than proposals that would tear communities apart, politicians should focus on addressing the bipartisan issues facing our immigration system.” 

The report details how mass deportation would deal a devastating blow to the U.S. economy. Mass deportation would cause our GDP to shrink by 4.2 percent to 6.8 percent. By comparison, the U.S. GDP shrunk by 4.3 percent during the Great Recession between 2007 and 2009. The effects would be felt across the country, but most strongly in California, Texas, and Florida. 

Major industries which are already suffering workforce shortages would be affected. The construction and agriculture industries would lose an estimated one in eight workers, while in hospitality, about one in 14 workers would be deported due to their undocumented status. Certain trades would be hit even harder. Mass deportation would remove more than 30 percent of the workers in major construction trades, such as plasterers, roofers, and painters; nearly a fourth of all housekeeping cleaners would be deported. 

READ THE REPORT HERE

“Mass deportation would crater our economy,” said Robbins. “This isn’t a matter of immigration policy: this is an economic proposal that would cause many major industries to utterly collapse. Farms would not be able to ship produce at the same speed to markets and grocery stores. Prices will skyrocket on goods and services throughout the country. Housing construction will take longer. The ripple effect will be felt in every community.”  

Council experts are available to provide further commentary and analysis about the costs of a mass deportation and family separation plan.