SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — A New Jersey Republican assemblyman has released a study suggesting the cost of illegal immigration in the state to be more than $8 billion a year.
Assemblyman Paul Kanitra said New Jersey’s sanctuary policies make the state attractive to immigrants.
“We’re offering a better deal for people who come here, but it is creating strain on the population that lives here legally,” he said. “And that’s taking into account everything from health care, to education, to essential services.”
Kanitra’s study estimated the total cost for sanctuary policies is $8.2 billion a year, at about $1,700 per taxpayer, with most of the money going to education costs for undocumented children or U.S.-born children of undocumented adults. Kanitra said the data showed immigrants often live in urban areas and contribute to rising rents in mostly minority communities.
“When you dig into housing, it’s really people at the lower end of the spectrum that are getting hurt,” he said.
Kanitra released a similar report in 2024 that estimated the cost then at over $7 billion.
Immigration advocacy groups have pushed back on studies like this, noting they fail to account for the state and local tax contributions made by undocumented workers.
The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice and the Camden Center for Law and Social Justice did not respond to KYW Newsradio’s request for comment on this story.
