Elon Musk criticizes large government expenditure on illegal immigrants: 'It's mind-boggling!'

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, has indicated that funding for services for illegal immigrants may be cut as the agency plans to reduce government spending.

The non-government department is predicted to receive empowerment from President-elect Trump to audit and implement significant changes in government agencies.

In a recent X post, DOGE criticized the U.S. government's spending on illegal immigration, stating that it amounted to $150.7 billion in 2023 alone.

U.S. spending on illegal immigration in a single year is comparable to government spending during the entirety of World War I and the Apollo space program, and significantly more than what was spent on the Manhattan Project, the Panama Canal, and the Hoover Dam.

Musk expressed his disbelief at the amount of money spent on illegal immigration through a post on X.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) published a report in March 2023 that estimated the net cost of illegal immigration to be at least $150.7 billion, or $1,156 per taxpayer, up from $116 billion in 2017.

The federal government spent $66 billion while state and local expenditures amounted to well over $115 billion, according to FAIR's estimates. This amount was calculated by subtracting the tax revenue paid by illegal aliens, which is just under $32 billion, from the gross negative economic impact of illegal immigration, which is $182 billion.

There is no recent information from the U.S. government on the amount of taxpayer money spent on illegal immigrants.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office's representative, Jessica Baxter, stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that the office has not recently worked on estimating the overall cost of immigration-related efforts by the federal government.

"We have reports that offer specific cost estimates for border security or immigration-related efforts, such as the cost of incarcerating noncitizens. However, these reports do not provide overall cost estimates. The two reports I am referring to are from 2018 and 2011, so the data is somewhat outdated. Our team is currently working on an update to the 2018 report, but the work is underway, and the report is not expected to be released soon."

Julie Kirchner, FAIR's executive director, stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that the $150.7 billion figure is a "very conservative estimate" and is likely much higher due to the ongoing increase in the undocumented migrant population.

"We previously estimated the illegal alien population to be 15.5 million, but now we believe it's over 16.8 million. We are currently conducting another estimate and expect it to be even higher. As a result, we know that the costs will increase."

She stated that the 2023 study did not include state and local spending on sheltering migrants. Despite DOGE's main focus on the federal government, she pointed out that state and local spending, including on education, health care, and incarceration, accounts for the largest share of government spending on illegal immigrants.

While precise figures are difficult to obtain on a local scale, it is widely acknowledged that America's cities are bearing a significant portion of the responsibility. For instance, New York, the nation's most populous city, estimates that over 90,000 asylum seekers have entered the city in recent years, with no end in sight. As a result, the city is projected to spend more than $12 billion through fiscal year 2025 on migrant services. In contrast, Chicago has reportedly spent approximately $400 million on migrant services in the past two years.

""State taxpayer dollars are increasingly being used to support illegal immigration, with the burden falling on local governments," she stated."

If Trump regains the presidency, she thinks DOGE and the administration should promptly work to eliminate government health care plans for illegals and shut down the loophole that enables illegal migrants to obtain income tax and child tax credits. By doing so, she believes DOGE can save taxpayers billions of dollars annually.

"We can do a lot," she continued. "They are using our tax dollars to provide benefits to illegal aliens and promote more illegal immigration. This is an insane situation where we're witnessing people embrace lawlessness, and it needs to stop. We're optimistic that the DOGE will put an end to it."