April 4, 2019. This article discusses the Trump administration’s claims that illegal immigration costs the United States $200 billion a year, which experts challenge. The author goes on to note that undocumented immigrants are not eligible to receive public benefits with the exception of medical treatment for emergencies, emergency disaster relief, immunizations and pregnant women are eligible for Women, Infants & Children (WIC).

Trump tweeted in December that the estimated 11,300,000 undocumented immigrants who live in the United States present a staggering bill to U.S. taxpayers that is upwards of $200 billion a year.

It is difficult to put an exact price tag on what undocumented immigrants cost the country, but some who deal with immigration and taxes issues are questioning the president’s numbers.

David Dyssegaard Kallick, the deputy director of the nonpartisan Fiscal Policy Institute, told NBC it was “Frankly, absurd.”

“It’s really hard to calculate anyone’s ‘net cost’ or ‘net benefit.’ We all use all kinds of services, from roads to military protection. How do we apportion what part of that is something I or you or an immigrant use?” Kallick said.

A 2017 study by the Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy showed that undocumented immigrants contributed significantly to state and local taxes, collectively paying an estimated $11.74 billion a year in state and federal income taxes, state and local sales taxes and property taxes.

Click here to read the full article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution.