The Truth About The Cost Of DREAMer Deferment

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco

I thought this was important “back-pocket” data. And by that I mean data that should be carried close at hand, like in your back pocket, within reach for those moments when misinformation is strewn around like truth.

It has to do specifically with the DREAMers, the undocumented persons who were brought to this country when they were children. Part of the rhetoric that follows the DREAMers  is that they are a financial burden to society because tax paying citizens have to foot their bill – and here you can insert a mix-and-match variety of line items: education, heath care, social services… The claim is that even the process of deferment will cost the American taxpayer at a time when the American economy is stretched.

But the truth is never mentioned. An article in the Los Angeles Times brought it to light:

The agency that handles all immigration related visas and applications is self-funded, and has been since 1986. In fact, the bulk of U.S. Citizenship and Customs’ budget comes from fees paid by immigrants. For example, in fiscal 2011 nearly $2.4 billion of the agency’s $2.8 billion budget was financed through fee revenue, according to congressional testimony.

This isn’t to say there isn’t nuance in the numbers – there always is…

But here’s the thing, the deferment plan is expected to cost between $467 million and $585 million.  Applicants are expected to pay $465 each. So the cost payed by the DREAMers is expected to be $484million. Some advocates, who calculate the number of DREAMers at 1.75 million, say that they could generate up to $800 million.

The point is that there are untruths being floated about the cost of the DREAMer deferment. It’s not going to cost American taxpayers $585 million. Worse case scenario, it’ll cost 20% of that. Best case, it’ll leave a $215 million surplus.