$5million spent daily on immigration detention

A new study from a Washington DC Think Tank shows that for the Fiscal Year that begins October 1, 2013 (Fiscal year 2014), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the White House requested $1.84 billion for DHS Custody Operations. This funding level would amount to over $5 million per day spent on immigration detention. This funding level would put the current cost to detain an immigrant at approximately $159 per day at a capacity of 31,800.

The study titled “Math of Immigration Detention” highlights the high costs of detaining immigrants under our current immigration system and explores more responsible alternatives to detention.

Released by released by the National Immigration Forum, the results show that if only individuals convicted of serious crimes were detained and less expensive alternative methods were used to monitor the rest of the population currently in detention, taxpayers could save more than $1.44 billion per year—almost an 80 percent reduction in annual costs.

According to the new study, “the exorbitant spending on detaining hundre

ds of thousands of immigrants annually is a symptom of America’s broken immigration system.  The study argues that government could employ less expensive alternatives for the majority of immigrants in detention. Billions of dollars could be saved if the government reduced its over reliance on detention and properly allocated resources towards more humane and cost-effective alternative methods of monitoring.”

 

To read the full study, CLICK HERE