With an influx of Illegal immigrants, the fiscal burden of Tennessee’s economy is steep
Recently, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent a letter to the City of Franklin notifying them that over 6,000 illegal immigrants being held by DHS requested relocation to Nashville, Davidson County, Murfreesboro and Franklin.
According to the notification, the Middle Tennessee cities are the “Intended Destination of Noncitizens Processed at the Southwest Border DHS Processing” who have been “fully screened and vetted” and are “pending the outcome of their immigration processes.”
“Processed Noncitizens Released from DHS Custody Consistent with longstanding practice under Republican and Democratic Administrations, DHS may conditionally release from custody noncitizens who have been fully screened and vetted pending the outcome of their immigration processes,” according to the notification. “This could include noncitizens who have been processed for expedited removal, noncitizens who are determined to have a credible fear or noncitizens who are otherwise placed in removal proceedings before an immigration judge.”
Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty wrote to DHS expressing concerns with the notice.
“We write today to express deep concern about recent reports indicating that nearly 600 migrants—from Guatemala, Venezuela, Honduras and Mexico—intend to travel to the Nashville area,” according to the letter. “Specifically, the City of Franklin was recently notified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that these immigrants, following their release from DHS custody, will likely settle in Nashville, Franklin, Murfreesboro and the surrounding communities. While this is not surprising given this administration’s continued utilization of the disastrous catch-and-release policy, the people of Tennessee should not have to bear the brunt of your failure to secure our border.”
Those released from custody include “noncitizens who have been processed for expedited removal, noncitizens who are determined to have a credible fear, or noncitizens who are otherwise placed in removal proceedings before an immigration judge,” according to the notice. DHS does not keep track of the immigrant’s travels after release.
With an influx of Illegal immigrants to the mid-state, according to fairus.org, the fiscal burden of Tennessee’s economy is steep. Concerns of lost jobs otherwise filled by legal citizens aside, in 2023 there were an “estimated” 162,000 illegal aliens living in the Volunteer state, with roughly 56,000 U.S born children.
According to the site, “illegal alien households add 49,882 students to local schools.”
“These noncitizens are eligible to apply for employment authorization once they are paroled and are not subject to a statutory waiting period for parole-based employment authorization,” according to the notification.
“The census bureau estimates that by 2030, immigration will overtake natural increase as the primary driver of population growth in the United States,” according to census.gov.
The report says “far-reaching demographic change” will translate into a workforce that “increasingly relies on the foreign-born, magnifying the need for a comprehensive understanding of how they are absorbed into labor markets and ultimately shape industries.”
The average cost to Tennesseans is $4,456 per illegal alien in the state. Taxpayers are supporting education to the tune of $571 million, police, legal and corrections totaling 175.6 million along with healthcare, public assistance and general government services expenses. In 2023, the total taxpayer cost for the illegal immigration issue was $364 per TN household and $971.3 million in total.
UCBJ file photo.
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