Many illegal immigrants are part of the Utah labor force and contribute to economic activity and taxes for the state. However, Utah taxpayers face a high cost for illegal immigration because of government services provided to illegal aliens.
A study by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) estimated that Utah residents in 2010 paid $453 million a year for illegal immigration. The amount included $290 million a year in education costs for the children of illegal immigrants.
Costs to Utah taxpayers also included $67.6 million a year for health care, $53.8 million annually for law enforcement activities associated with illegal immigrants, and $14.8 million a year on welfare programs for illegal aliens, according to the FAIR analysis. Utah taxpayers also spent an additional $26.5 million on other state and local operating costs due to illegal immigration.
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Between 6 percent and 9 percent of inmates in Utah are illegal immigrants, according to a 2012 study at Ohio University.
KTVX-TV reported in 2013 that more than 3,300 criminal illegal immigrants were deported through the Salt Lake City immigration field office during the year. The average cost for each deportation is estimated at $10,000, according to the report.
Chris Herrod, a former Utah state representative, told the station that hidden costs from crimes by illegal immigrants include identity theft, tax fraud, and uninsured motorists in accidents.
According to a report by the Pew Research Center, unauthorized immigrants accounted for 5.1 percent of the state’s labor force, or 70,000 workers, in 2012. The Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy reported that unauthorized immigrants contributed nearly $75 million in state and local taxes to Utah in 2012,
the American Immigration Council reported.
Although the tax revenue falls short of compensating for the overall costs of illegal immigration, unauthorized immigrants contribute some $2.3 billion to economic activity in the state, according to a report by the Perryman Group.
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