Immigration Reform Cost Calculator

Cost of 2007 immigration overhaul bill
Cost: $29,597,000,000

The 2007 immigration bill died in the Senate. A new immigration overhaul bill could be modeled on that bill. The 2007 bill would have given a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country and would have expanded the number of legal immigrants allowed into the U.S. In 2007, the Congressional Budget Office projected that the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, as amended, would have increased federal spending by almost $30 billion over a five-year period (FY2008-2012). CBO estimated that implementing the bill would have increased mandatory spending by about $10 billion over a five-year period - most of those outlays would have been for refundable income tax credits and Medicaid. The bill would also have increased discretionary spending by about $20 billion over a five-year period - mostly for law enforcement grants to state and local governments; additional government employees; detention facilities; and an employment verification system.

Calculator: http://www.foxnews.com/topics/us/immigration/immigration-overhaul.htm