Study finds that illegal immigration costs US taxpayers $151 billion a year

Illegal immigration is costing American taxpayers $151 billion a year, according to the results of a study published on Wednesday.

The study, conducted by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, found that U.S. taxpayers cough up about $182 billion every year for benefits and services for illegal immigrants. However, that figure is offset by about $31 billion in taxes that are collected from immigrants every year, according to the study. Still, the resulting figure -- $151 billion -- marks a 30 percent increase over five years ago, according to FAIR.

Of the total cost, $78 billion goes to education, while $42.7 billion is spent on health care, the study found. The remaining $47 billion is used for criminal justice-related costs, FAIR reveals.

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