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The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, is spotlighting the $150.7 billion cost of illegal immigration to U.S. taxpayers in 2023, according to a Fox Business report.
In a post on X, DOGE compared this expense to the inflation-adjusted costs of major American projects and World War I. The figure, based on data from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), accounts for federal, state, and local expenditures minus tax contributions from illegal immigrants.
DOGE compared the $150.7 billion cost of illegal immigration in 2023 to the inflation-adjusted costs of major U.S. projects and historical efforts:
- World War I: Adjusted for inflation, the U.S. spent $334 billion on World War I, nearly double the cost of illegal immigration in a single year. (Source: Norwich University study)
- Project Apollo: NASA’s moon landing program cost $257 billion in today’s dollars from 1960 to 1973, less than two years’ worth of illegal immigration costs. (Source: The Planetary Society)
- The Manhattan Project: Developing the nuclear bomb cost $30 billion over four years in 2023 dollars, a fraction of the 2023 immigration expense. (Source: National Park Service)
- Panama Canal: Completed in 1914, the Panama Canal’s construction cost $15.2 billion in 2023 dollars. (Source: DOGE-cited historical analysis)
- Hoover Dam: Built over five years, the dam cost $1 billion in today’s dollars. (Source: National Archives)
DOGE highlighted these comparisons to underscore the scale of the financial burden illegal immigration places on taxpayers. See the tweet below:
In 2023 alone, illegal immigration cost taxpayers $150.7 billion. To put this in context with other costs (adjusted for inflation):
-World War I: $334 billion
-Apollo Space Program: $257 billion
-Manhattan Project: $30 billion
-Panama Canal: $15.2 billion
-Hoover Dam: $1…— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) December 3, 2024
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