TRENTON, NJ – As more New Jersey schools continue to report closures, staff layoffs, and even the sale of longtime community schools because of being ‘shortchanged’ by Governor Phil Murphy’s S2 funding formula, billions are being spent elsewhere.
That elsewhere is on the cost of housing, educating, feeding, and providing health insurance and other state benefits for illegal migrants living in the state.
“You got three high schools, you should have two. You have five middle schools, you should have four,” Murphy said last year. “Those are hard discussions to have inside of a community, and I get that.”
Instead of allocating more funds to New Jersey’s public school systems and less to illegal migrants, Murphy advised school districts to tighten their belt and suggested closing schools and cutting programs.
A report released by New Jersey Republican Assemblyman Paul Kanitra reveals that approximately 1-in-10 residents in the state are illegal immigrants, costing taxpayers an estimated $7.3 billion annually. The “Report on the Cost of Illegal Aliens to New Jerseyans” outlines expenditures related to housing, education, healthcare, legal services, and more. Based on an April 2024 estimate, around 894,000 unlawful immigrants currently reside in New Jersey. Kanitra attributes part of the ongoing U.S.-Mexico border crisis to lenient state policies and argues these incentives are encouraging illegal immigration.
The report stems from Kanitra’s recent trip to the southern border, where he interviewed Border Patrol agents and Texas state authorities.
These officials claimed that states like New Jersey, through generous public benefits and lax enforcement, are fueling the immigration crisis. In response, Kanitra has proposed measures including mandatory legal status checks for state IDs, an end to education subsidies for illegal immigrants, use of E-Verify by employers, and stricter reporting requirements in healthcare. The report comes amid an ongoing federal struggle, with over 6 million encounters at the southern border since President Biden took office.
Key Points:
- New Jersey taxpayers are paying $7.3 billion annually due to illegal immigration.
- The state is home to roughly 894,000 illegal immigrants—about 1 in 10 residents.
- Assemblyman Kanitra proposes strict reforms including use of E-Verify and ending subsidies.
New Jersey Is Having To Shell Out Billions Due To Illegal Immigration, Report Finds
A report conducted by a New Jersey lawmaker found that 1-in-1o residents in the state are illegal immigrants and they are costing taxpayers well over $7 billion a year.
New Jersey Republican assemblyman Paul Kanitra released the “Report on the Cost of Illegal Aliens to New Jerseyans” on Tuesday, which gives a comprehensive breakdown of how many illegal immigrants are residing in the state, its costs to taxpayers, and the current state of the border crisis. The report called for a number of enforcement measures and the abolishment of incentives that attract illegal immigration to the state.
Kanitra’s office estimated that, as of April 2024, there were roughly 894,000 illegal immigrants in New Jersey. Out of a state of just under 10 million, this would equate to nearly 1-in-1o New Jersey residents being an unlawful immigrant.
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New Jersey taxpayers spend money every year on housing, legal services, medical care, education, police and fire services, and other general state government services, the report found. Altogether, Kanitra’s office concluded that New Jersey residents are paying $7.3 billion annually to cover the cost of illegal immigrants.
“This report follows my academic trip down to the southern border of these United States,” Kanitra wrote. “I believe that I have achieved greater insight, for myself and my constituents, on the crisis unfolding along the border, particularly at the Rio Grande River.”
The assemblyman released his report in conjunction with a video he took during a trip to the southern border. In the video, he met with members of the Texas Department of Public Safety, who are now on the frontlines fighting the ongoing U.S.-Mexico border crisis.
“During my border trip, judges, Border Patrol agents and Texas state troopers unequivocally stated that our actions here in New Jersey are incentivizing and encouraging people worldwide to break our laws and access the taxpayer-funded benefits we’re providing,” Katrina said in the video.
The lawmaker called on New Jersey leaders to take a number of measures to mitigate the crisis, such as including citizenship or legal status on state IDs, ending education subsidies for illegal immigrants, requiring employers to use E-Verify, and requiring reporting of legal status of those using healthcare services, among other proposals.
Federal immigration authorities continue to deal with an unprecedented crisis at the southern border. Since President Joe Biden took office, at least 6 million encounters have taken place at the southern border.
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