A new White House economic report pegs Democratic Socialists' immigration proposals at up to $613 billion in taxpayer costs over the next decade, with illegal immigrants draining an estimated $166,716 each over their lifetimes.

The Council of Economic Advisers analysis, released Tuesday, warns that mass amnesty programs and border policies backed by the Democratic Socialists of America could add between $440 billion and $613 billion in federal spending through 2036. The report lands as Republicans frame immigration costs as a core midterm issue.

Lifetime Burden Per Illegal Immigrant

According to the White House calculations, each illegal immigrant costs American taxpayers $166,716 over their lifetime in federal, state, and local services. The figure factors in emergency medical care, public education, law enforcement, and social programs minus any tax contributions.

The report titled "The Real Cost of Socialism in America" breaks down DSA policy impacts across multiple sectors. Immigration provisions represent one component of a broader $49 trillion price tag the administration attributes to full implementation of Democratic Socialist economic policies.

Border Reopening and Amnesty Costs

The analysis specifically targets proposals to reopen borders to millions of individuals, including those with criminal records, and grant mass amnesty to current illegal residents. White House economists project these policies would strain federal entitlement programs while depressing wages for low-skilled American workers.

Democratic Socialists counter that enforcement-focused policies ignore the economic contributions of immigrant labor and would cost more in deportation and detention infrastructure than legalization pathways. The DSA platform calls for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and replacing it with a system focused on worker protections rather than deportation.

Midterm Battleground

Republicans have seized on the cost analysis to attack Democratic candidates in competitive races. The report provides quantifiable ammunition for campaigns linking progressive immigration policies to economic strain on working families already facing inflation pressure.

Democrats dispute both the methodology and the underlying assumptions, arguing the figures inflate costs while ignoring tax revenue and economic growth effects. Progressive economists note that previous cost estimates of immigration reform have varied widely depending on assumptions about labor market effects and long-term fiscal impacts.

The report's timing, arriving weeks before November midterm elections, positions immigration costs as a central Republican message in battleground states where border security remains a top voter concern.