Costs and implications of deportations

TL;DR

The Center for Migration Studies (CMS) report analyzes the potential impact of mass deportation of undocumented immigrants using recent 2022 data. It highlights the devastating effects such a policy would have on families, the economy, and society. Over 5 million U.S. households would be at risk of breaking up, and nearly 10 million U.S. citizens would face economic hardship due to the loss of undocumented family members. Undocumented immigrants contribute significantly to the labor force and pay over $96.7 billion in taxes. The report stresses the moral, social, and economic costs of mass deportation, urging policymakers to consider more humane alternatives.

The 2024 report from the Center for Migration Studies (CMS) revisits the implications of mass deportation policies, using the most up-to-date data from the 2022 American Community Survey. The analysis builds on a previous CMS report from 2017 when Donald Trump initially proposed mass deportation of undocumented immigrants during his presidency. With Trump reintroducing the idea in his 2024 campaign, CMS's updated research offers crucial insights into the far-reaching consequences that mass deportation would have on individuals, families, and the broader U.S. society.
 
One of the report's key findings is the profound impact mass deportation would have on mixed-status households—homes where undocumented immigrants live alongside U.S. citizens or legal residents. There are 5.8 million such households in the United States, including 4.7 million undocumented individuals and residents with legal status. Deporting undocumented members of these families would break up nearly 5 million American households, leaving many U.S. citizens, including children, vulnerable to economic instability and emotional trauma. The report estimates that 5.5 million U.S.-born children live in households with at least one undocumented parent, and 1.8 million of these children have two undocumented parents. For these families, the removal of parents would create severe financial strain, with the cost of completing the upbringing of these children estimated at $116.5 billion.
 
The economic repercussions of mass deportation extend beyond individual households. The report shows that undocumented workers are deeply integrated into the U.S. labor force, with a labor participation rate of 77.2%, higher than the national average of 63.5%. These individuals contribute over $96.7 billion annually in federal, state, and local taxes. Their removal from the workforce would not only create labor shortages, particularly in essential sectors like agriculture, construction, and domestic services but also reduce overall economic productivity. Mixed-status households, where many undocumented workers reside, would see their median household income drop by 48% from $75,500 to $39,000, pushing millions closer to poverty.
 
The CMS report also highlights the broader societal costs of mass deportation. Many undocumented immigrants have been in the U.S. for more than 10 years, building strong ties to their communities. Their deportation would disrupt these long-standing social networks, causing emotional and psychological harm to families, particularly children. In addition to the social harm, the U.S. housing market would also face instability, as 1.5 million households with undocumented residents have mortgages. The likelihood of mass defaults could destabilize housing markets in areas with high immigrant populations.
 
While deportation policies are often justified by economic and public safety arguments, the CMS report finds little evidence to support these claims. On the contrary, undocumented immigrants contribute significantly to the economy, and research shows that immigrants, including those without legal status, tend to have lower crime rates than native-born individuals. The report underscores that mass deportation would not make U.S. communities safer but would instead cause long-term harm to both undocumented immigrants and U.S. citizens.
 
 

Conclusion

The CMS report clearly demonstrates that the costs of mass deportation far outweigh its perceived benefits. Economically, the loss of undocumented workers would harm local economies, strain the labor market, and reduce tax revenues. Socially, millions of U.S. citizens would face economic hardship, and families would suffer emotional trauma from separation. The moral implications, including the effects on children left behind, further highlight the inhumane nature of mass deportation policies. CMS advocates for more humane, inclusive immigration reforms that provide pathways to legal status, helping protect the integrity of American families and the stability of the nation's economy.

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