The immigration reform bill before Congress will cost Americans more than $2 trillion over the lifetime of its implementation, Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint says.
"There's no reason we can't begin to fix our immigration system so that we won't make this problem worse," the former South Carolina lawmaker said on ABC's "This Week." "But the bill that's being presented is unfair to those who came here legally. It will cost Americans trillions of dollars," he added.
And despite the Congressional Budget Office having different numbers, DeMint maintains Gross Domestic Product will be hurt for years to come.
Latest: Do You Support Giving Illegals Citizenship? Vote Here Now
The CBO said Obamacare would cost nothing, he said, but has been proved wrong. "They're basically puppets of the Congress and the assumptions they put into the bill."
"If you consider all the factors related to the amnesty - and, believe me, this is comprehensive - that it will have a negative long-term impact on our gross domestic product," DeMint said. "So we just want Congress, for once, to count the cost of a bill. They're notorious for underestimating the cost and not understanding the consequences."
"Our country faces very difficult economic and financial problems, but he seems content to bring up emotional, divisive issues, whether it be guns or immigration, and start the fight and play the referee," DeMint added.
DeMint believes the bill will be defeated if people read it.
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.