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Screenshot of a false X post from a user with the username, “@StephenM” that reads: “The longterm cost to taxpayers of financially supporting just one illegal immigrant family easily exceeds one million dollars.”

Undocumented Families Contribute to the Economy

Claim

The long-term cost of supporting one undocumented family exceeds one million dollars.

Original Post

Fact

There is no reliable data to support the claim that a single undocumented family costs taxpayers over a million dollars in the long term. 

Experts vary widely in their analysis of the economic impacts of undocumented individuals in the United States, but many highlight the tens of billions contributed in taxes every year.    

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimated that in 2022, undocumented individuals paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes.

According to the American Immigration Council, undocumented individuals contributed an estimated $26.2 billion to Social Security in 2023, even though most will never collect benefits.       

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