Report: Trump's Deportation Efforts Could Cost Taxpayers an Average of $2,358

A report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) (Left bias) approximated President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown through deportations will cost American taxpayers an average of $2,358 throughout the course of his presidency. AllSides did not find coverage from the right of EPI's report outside of Newsmax (Right). However, right-leaning outlets heavily covered other elements of immigration news, such as the record levels of ICE arrests in 2026.

The Details: EPI estimated that the federal government will spend $268.9 billion on deportations throughout Trump's second term, with costs concentrated in major population centers rather than rural areas. Axios (Lean Left) noted that the EPI estimated the cost for taxpayers regionally, writing that taxpayers in a small, highly populated city like Washington, D.C., could pay around $3,930 each, while taxpayers in smaller, rural areas like West Virginia might only pay around $1,297.

Comparing the Numbers: EPI's report compared how the same funds could be spent in other programs. Los Angeles, for example, is estimated to use $9.25 billion, which the EPI reported could fund 24,000 teachers in the area. The amount spent in West Virginia could fund SNAP benefits for 328,000 people or Medicaid coverage for 31,000 people, according to Axios.

What EPI Didn't Measure: Newsweek (Center) quoted the president of NumbersUSA, an organization that advocates for immigration reform, saying, "The calculator doesn't measure the cost of non-enforcement. Just a couple of years ago, a historic surge in illegal immigration threatened to bankrupt even the largest and wealthiest cities in America." A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security said, "It's ridiculous that investments to enforce the law are making headlines while the devastating consequences of breaking it went completely ignored under the Biden administration. Illegal immigration costs American taxpayers over $150 billion every single year, and that number will only grow unless our nation's laws are enforced. Deportations are absolutely vital to stop the bleeding." Daily Wire (Right) reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 51,000 immigrants in July, setting a new monthly record.

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