Ricardo Chavira Chicano

DEPORTATION HALLUCINATIONS

The latest craze is the mass demand for massive deportations. Trump in a recent interview was asked how much such an effort cost would cost. He replied, “It’s not a question of a price tag. It’s not — really, we have no choice. When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries, and now they’re going to go back to those countries because they’re not staying here. There is no price tag.”

The thinking such conclusions fails to take into account the hard realities mass deportations would navigate.

Deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants from the United States would face significant legal, logistical, and economic challenges:

Legal and Procedural Hurdles

Undocumented immigrants in the U.S. are entitled to due process, including court hearings before deportation.

 Legal proceedings would require a massive expansion of the already backlogged immigration court system. There is a backlog of 3.7 million cases in immigration courts, with only about 700 immigration judges available.

Logistical Challenges

Identification and Apprehension

ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) would need to increase its capacity to locate and apprehend undocumented immigrants significantly. With only about 20,000 agents and support staff, ICE lacks the manpower to handle such a large-scale operation.

Detention and Processing

The government would need to dramatically expand detention facilities to hold millions of people awaiting hearings or deportation. This would require the building of large new facilities at a considerable expense.

Transportation

A massive increase in removal flights would be necessary, potentially requiring military aircraft to supplement current capabilities.

Economic Impact

Labor Market Disruption

Nearly 90% of undocumented immigrants are of working age, compared to 61.3% of the U.S.-born population. Removing this population would exacerbate labor shortages in agriculture, construction, and services.

Increased Costs for Consumers

If businesses face reduced productivity or higher wage expenses due to labor shortages, consumers would likely bear the financial burden through higher prices.

Housing Market Impact

The housing market could be jeopardized, as households hold many mortgages with undocumented immigrants.

Fiscal Costs

Deportation Expenses

A one-time mass deportation operation would cost an estimated $315 billion, including $89.3 billion for arrests, $167.8 billion for detention, $34.1 billion for legal processing, and $24.1 billion for removals.

Loss of Tax Revenue

Undocumented immigrants contribute significantly to federal, state, and local taxes. In 2022, they were estimated to have paid $468 billion in federal taxes, including $22.6 billion to Social Security and $5.7 billion to Medicare.

Our politicians and elected officials are either not informed of these facts or prefer to not touch on them. Vowing to massively deport people is a good soundbite, and nothing more.