Nate Jackson: The Financial Weight of Anchor Babies

The cost of children born to illegals puts in perspective the cost of building a border wall.

As another “caravan” of an estimated 4,000 illegals heads toward the U.S. — specially timed and weaponized by activists for the November elections — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has introduced the “Build the Wall, Enforce the Law Act,” which would provide $23.4 billion to construct a border wall, including $5.5 billion that would be available immediately. McCarthy said, “For decades, America’s inability to secure our borders and stop illegal immigration has encouraged millions to undertake a dangerous journey to come here in violation of our laws and created huge loopholes in the legal channels we use to welcome immigrants to our country.”

When the nation is staring down its largest budget deficit since 2012, the wall may seem extraneous. But how much does doing nothing cost?

A recent report from the Center for Immigration Studies indicates that one-fifth of all births in the U.S. are to immigrants, and a sizable number of those are to mothers here illegally. The report’s authors, CIS Research Director Steven A. Camarota, Demographer Karen Zeigler, and analyst Jason Richwine, write, “Our best estimate is that legal immigrants accounted for 12.4 percent — 494,000 — of all births, and illegal immigrants accounted for 7.5 percent — 297,000.”

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