The Biden administration’s approach to immigration from January 2021 through January 2025 has produced the most extensive border crisis in U.S. history—both in human terms and fiscal impact. While politicians speak of compassion, the reality is far different: a ballooning federal deficit, overwhelmed city governments, increased violent crime, a rise in child exploitation, and a national security disaster.
The Numbers: Border Apprehensions and Gotaways
Between January 2021 and January 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded over 8.8 million encounters at the southern border. These included family units, single adults, and unaccompanied minors.
In addition, over 1.8 million illegal immigrants are estimated to have evaded capture—so-called “gotaways.” These individuals are of special concern, as they bypassed all screening. Border Patrol and DHS insiders believe a large number are linked to criminal gangs, drug cartels, or have criminal histories in their home countries.
This combination of overwhelmed border enforcement and catch-and-release policies has created a perfect storm of lawlessness that touches nearly every corner of the United States.
Financing the Invasion: U.S. Dollars and Global Partners
A major but often overlooked aspect of this crisis is who financed the wave of illegal immigration. Contrary to the notion that this was entirely spontaneous or grassroots, many illegal immigrants were assisted by international organizations, U.S. federal programs, and politically connected non-government organizations (NGOs).
USAID and International Gatekeepers
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has long funded programs in Central America under the guise of “development aid.” Under President Biden, over $3.4 billion was allocated for “root cause” migration efforts, much of which flowed to organizations providing logistical support to migrants en route to the U.S.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM)—largely bankrolled by the U.S.—provided transportation vouchers, temporary shelters, and information guides to illegal migrants. Over $2.6 billion in U.S. contributions helped fund this network during Biden’s term.
Domestic NGO Network
Numerous non-governmental organizations, including Catholic Charities, Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), and the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, received federal contracts and grants to provide travel, housing, food, and legal assistance to illegal immigrants inside the U.S.
In total, watchdog organizations estimate $5.5 billion in federal grants flowed through NGOs from 2021 to 2024. These nonprofits acted as the logistics arm of mass illegal immigration, with full cooperation from the Biden administration.
A Full Suite of Benefits: Travel, Shelter, Cash, and Counsel
Illegal immigrants received a range of taxpayer-funded services after arrival. Here’s a breakdown of what many received:
Transportation
- DHS contracted buses and planes to relocate migrants from the border to cities across the nation.
- Over $1.7 billion was spent on federally funded migrant transport during this period.
Lodging
- In sanctuary cities like New York, Chicago, and Denver, entire hotels were repurposed as shelters at an average cost of $300–$450 per night per room.
- NYC alone spent over $4 billion on migrant housing by 2024.
Food and Necessities
- Migrants were provided with three meals per day, often through city contracts.
- Hygiene kits, baby supplies, and clothing were also distributed at no cost.
Schooling
- Federal law mandates free public education for any child residing in a district, regardless of immigration status.
- School districts struggled to hire ESL teachers and manage overcrowded classrooms.
Medical Services
- ER visits were covered under federal mandates.
- NGOs provided primary care, vaccinations, prenatal care, and prescriptions.
- In states like California and New York, some illegal immigrants were granted Medicaid-equivalent care.
Legal Aid
- The Biden administration funded legal services through groups like the Vera Institute (an anti-incarceration criminal social justice reform advocacy group), which received over $170 million in federal contracts.
- These lawyers fought deportation orders, filed asylum paperwork, and guided applicants through loopholes in U.S. immigration law.
Additional Perks
- Migrants received prepaid debit cards loaded with $400–$1,200 in some cases.
- Some were offered financing assistance for vehicle purchases, particularly in sanctuary jurisdictions.
- ID cards such as NYC’s IDNYC program enabled access to city services and even banking.
NYC Benefit Breakdown
In 2023, the monthly per-person cost in NYC averaged $4,100 and included:
- Housing: $2,000
- Food and essentials: $600
- Transit and mobility: $300
- Schooling (per child): $800
- Health and legal support: $400
A family of four could receive over $16,000 per month in taxpayer-supported services, rivaling or exceeding the earnings of a middle-class American household.
Red States vs. Blue States
Blue states like New York, Illinois, and California eagerly provided expansive benefits, often in direct defiance of federal immigration law. Red states, such as Florida and Texas, pushed back by passing laws to bar local funds from supporting illegal immigration.
However, red states still bore immense burdens. Texas spent over $10 billion on Operation Lone Star alone, funding state National Guard deployments and law enforcement to fill the vacuum left by federal inaction.
Several states, both red and blue, requested federal reimbursement:
- New York City: $4.6 billion (requested, only partially reimbursed)
- Illinois (statewide): $1.1 billion
- Massachusetts: $800 million
- Colorado: $475 million
- Texas: $12 billion (including Operation Lone Star and related costs)
- Arizona: $1.3 billion
FEMA Budget Strained
There is strong evidence that FEMA disaster relief funds were strained by immigrant-related spending.
- In September 2023, reports emerged that FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund was dangerously depleted, leading to the delay or denial of hurricane recovery funds to areas in North Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida.
- Multiple members of Congress, including Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), cited the diversion of FEMA funds to support illegal immigrants as a root cause of delays in storm recovery projects.
Non-Financial Costs: Crime, Education, and Lost Children
Crime and Violence
From murders like that of Laken Riley in Georgia to gang violence in sanctuary cities, the cost in human suffering has been incalculable. Many illegal immigrants involved in violent crimes had prior arrests but were released due to soft-on-crime immigration policies.
Sanctuary jurisdictions often refuse to report immigration status in arrests, which conceals the full scope of migrant crime. Police departments in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago do not cooperate with ICE, making national data unreliable.
Unaccompanied Minors and Human Trafficking
Between 2021 and 2024, over 450,000 unaccompanied minors crossed into the United States. These children were placed with “sponsors,” sometimes without thorough background checks.
- Some addresses received multiple unrelated children, a red flag for child trafficking rings.
- Tens of thousands of children disappeared from sponsor homes, and HHS has no current tracking on their welfare.
- Many of these children are now believed to be in domestic servitude, sexual abuse, or gang recruitment situations.
- Whistleblowers from within HHS, including Tara Lee Rodas, testified that the U.S. government was effectively delivering children into the hands of traffickers.
This scandal rivals the darkest chapters in American child welfare history—and it continues.
Public School Crisis
Children in American public schools, especially those already behind due to COVID-related learning gaps, were further harmed by the reallocation of resources to newly arrived migrant students.
- Teachers in New York and Chicago reported having to drop lesson standards to accommodate non-English speakers.
- Classrooms became overcrowded, with resources stretched thin.
- Behavioral issues rose sharply in schools trying to manage conflicting cultural norms and language barriers.
American children, already reeling from lost years during the pandemic, are now competing for attention and resources with thousands of new arrivals—many with unique and intensive needs.
Who Profited? Corruption and No-Bid Contracts
Democrat politicians used the immigration crisis as a slush fund for politically connected organizations and donors.
- NYC awarded DocGo (a home health care provider) a $432 million no-bid contract, despite the firm’s lack of experience in housing and migrant care. Later investigations exposed neglect and fraud.
- In Chicago, nonprofits run by political allies were given contracts without any competitive bidding.
- DHS awarded tens of millions to NGOs aligned with Democratic donor networks, bypassing oversight.
This wasn’t merely mismanagement—it was intentional funneling of taxpayer money to cronies under the veil of humanitarianism.
The Path Forward: A Costly Fix
Reversing this crisis will not be cheap. The necessary actions include:
- Rebuilding border infrastructure
- Hiring thousands of ICE agents
- Increasing deportation capacity
- Investigating and prosecuting trafficking networks
- Rewriting asylum and sponsor policies
- Providing restitution to overwhelmed cities and states
The estimated cost of reversal could exceed $200–$300 billion, depending on how aggressively reforms are implemented.
Total Cost Estimate: Is $500 Billion Realistic?
While no single government agency has yet totaled all expenses, analysts from FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform) estimated that the total cost of illegal immigration to U.S. taxpayers in 2023 alone was $163 billion. That number has likely increased with every passing month.
By adding direct costs (transport, food, legal aid), indirect costs (schooling, crime, overwhelmed systems), and long-term impact (Medicaid fraud, housing support, lost wages), a cumulative cost of over $500 billion (a half trillion dollars) from 2021 to 2025 is not only realistic—it may be conservative.
Let’s assume that the total cost will be a trillion dollars. This means that Joe Biden caused each and every taxpayer in the USA to incur a debt of approximately $6,700 dollars, with interest accumulated as time passes.
Conclusion: America Betrayed—and the Bill Is Due
The Biden administration’s policies on illegal immigration have produced one of the most expensive and destabilizing domestic crises in U.S. history. Cities are broke, crime is rising, and children—both American and foreign—are suffering. The human trafficking of minors under federal oversight should shock every conscience.
Fixing this debacle will require hundreds of billions of dollars, aggressive law enforcement, and a moral commitment to the rule of law—a task only achievable if the American people demand that immigration policy be returned to sanity.
The time for soft rhetoric is over. The American people deserve truth, security, and sovereignty—not slogans and sabotage.
S.D.G.,
Robert Sparkman
rob@christiannewsjunkie.com
RELATED CONTENT
Nate Friedman is a young independent investigative reporter. He is a conservative Jew. He is very good at interviewing immigrants. I think he makes a sincere attempt to relate to them.
Nick Shirley is an independent investigative journalist. He is a conservative Mormon. He travels to areas where controversial issues arise and conducts interviews with individuals that are affected. He sometimes clowns around but most of the time he is serious. He was a Mormon missionary in Hispanic countries, and this enables him to speak Spanish to immigrant interviewees without an interpreter. I recommend watching his interviews to learn the truth about the cost of immigration.
James Klug is an independent investigative journalist. He is a conservative Christian. He doesn’t typically interview immigrants, but he interviews protesters and others about controversial topics. He is conservative. The responses of the interviewees can be interesting and entertaining.
Concerning the Related Content section, I encourage everyone to evaluate the content carefully.
If I have listed the content, I think it is worthwhile viewing to educate yourself on the topic, but it may contain coarse language or some opinions I don’t agree with.
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I will continue to add videos and other items to the Related Content section as opportunities present themselves.
I recommend these Youtube channels and commentators for good content on politics and news from a Christian and/or conservative worldview: Albert Mohler, Allie Beth Stuckey, Bill O’Reilly, CBN News, Hugh Hewitt, John Anderson Media (Australia), Nick Freitas, Ruthless Podcast (language warning), Scott Jennings, The Hot Zone with Chuck Holton, Vince Dao, and Verdict with Ted Cruz.
Albert Mohler’s channel on Youtube has a daily episode called The Briefing with Albert Mohler that I highly recommend. Allie Beth Stuckey’s channel is top-notch, too.
For livestreaming of political protests and riots by conservative commentators, check out Nate Friedman, Cam Higby, James Klug, and Nick Shirley. I don’t agree with the perspectives of all these commentators and the language of protesters is often obscene. Most news outlets will not cover these illegal assemblies, though, because it doesn’t promote their narrative.
Depictions of Jesus Christ are used in some illustrations. I realize that some including conservative Presbyterians consider this to be idolatry. I respectfully disagree with their position on this matter as the commandment forbids worshiping such depictions, and I do not worship these illustrations.