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According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, illegal immigrants are costing Americans a total of $135 billion annually.

An Extensive Breakdown

As of now, 12.5 illegal immigrants live in America. There are also 4.2 million minor citizens who also happen to be children of illegal immigrants. Furthermore, American taxpayers are paying around $8,075 for every family of illegal immigrants. FAIR describes these fiscal records as "staggering and crippling." Within the past four years, the cost of illegal immigrants has skyrocketed by nearly $3 billion, which FAIR describes as "disturbing and unsustainable."

Those in favor of illegal immigrants often note their tax contributions and they are correct. Illegal immigrants pay $15,447,987, 700 in federal taxes and $3,520,960,000 in state and local taxes which amounts to a total of $18,968,857,700.

However, as stated by FAIR, the total national cost of illegal immigrants is $134,863,455,364. After subtracting their tax contributions, the cost of $16 billion dollars still remains.

Furthermore, FAIR claims that data may in fact exaggerate the amount of taxes paid by illegal immigrants. Their statement on the matter reads as follows:

"The majority of illegal aliens seeking employment in the United States have lived in an environment where they have little fear of deportation, even if discovered. This has created an environment where most illegal aliens are both able and willing to file tax returns. Because the vast majority of illegal aliens hold low-paying jobs, those who are subject to wage deductions actually wind up receiving a complete refund of all taxes paid, plus net payments made on the basis of tax credits. As a result, illegal aliens actually profit from filing a tax return and, therefore, have a strong interest in doing so."

Thoughts on Illegal Immigration From Republicans and Democrats

In the majority of cases, Republicans vehemently oppose illegal immigration. They often cite the aforementioned financial burden as a prime reason. However, there are some Republicans who support paths to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

Conversely, Democrats are frequent advocates for illegal immigrants. Generally, Democrats employ the emotional appeal in favor of illegal immigrants while noting their tax contributions.

FAIR asserts that the $135 billion cost of illegal immigrants is higher than ever. Fox News recently provided their take on this coverage, as well.