The chaos at the border in recent years has cast into stark relief one of the central issues surrounding illegal immigration: its fiscal costs. Unfortunately, most discussions on the subject tend to be filled with misconceptions, half-truths, and even outright falsehoods. The evidence indicates that illegal immigrants are almost certainly a net drain on our public fisc — but not for the reasons many activists put forth. Guest Steven Camarota joins us to discuss the current economic and fiscal realities of immigration, and how our policies might better reflect them.

Steven A. Camarota is the director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies.

This podcast discusses themes from Steven’s essay in the Summer 2024 issue of National Affairs, “The Cost of Illegal Immigration.”