Trump terminates taxpayer benefits for illegal immigrants

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order ending all taxpayer-funded programs for illegal migrants. The order is intended to ensure that taxpayer resources are going toward American citizens and not being used to incentivize or support illegal immigration

To comply with the executive order, federal departments and agencies are required to identify and terminate all federally funded programs that provide financial benefits to illegal immigrants. It also seeks to prevent the use of federal funds to support "sanctuary" policies.

"My Administration will uphold the rule of law, defend against the waste of hard-earned taxpayer resources, and protect benefits for American citizens in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans," the order states, as reported in a White House fact sheet. "President Trump is committed to safeguarding Federal public benefits for American citizens who are truly in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans," the order reads.

The US House Homeland Security Committee has estimated that the surge in illegal immigration over the past four years has resulted in a significant cost to American taxpayers, with an anticipated $451 billion spent on illegal immigrants and gotaways unlawfully in the US since January 2021, Fox News reported.

American taxpayers have spent a minimum of $182 billion annually to cover the costs of 20 million illegal immigrants and their offspring, according to calculations from the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which were cited in the executive order. Although the total includes $66.5 billion in federal expenses, an additional $115.6 billion has been derived from state and local expenses.

Furthermore, the Center for Immigration Studies has predicted that welfare programs, that are not intended for individuals who are illegally in the United States, could result in an annual cost of $3 billion to American taxpayers for every one million illegal immigrants. FEMA has also allocated over $1 billion to illegal migrants since 2021, per Fox News.

The Trump administration also condemned the Biden administration for "enabling" illegal immigration and using taxpayer funds to support the crime. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that federal and state taxpayers spent over $16.2 billion to provide Medicaid-funded emergency services to illegal immigrants through former President Biden's open borders agenda, as stated in the executive order.

"The Biden Administration gave billions in taxpayer dollars to left-wing groups that facilitated mass illegal migration and provided legal services to challenge deportation orders," the order continued.

President Trump has signed a series of executive orders intended to enhance national security by cracking down on illicit immigration since reentering the White House on January 20.