Auditor’s Office Release Report on the Cost of Illegal Immigration to Taxpayers

JACKSON, Miss. – Illegal immigration is hurting Mississippi taxpayers according to a new report released today by State Auditor Shad White.

“Mississippi’s illegal immigration problem is spiraling out of control and is costing taxpayers millions,” said State Auditor Shad White. “Our public schools, hospitals, and prisons will continue to lose massive sums of money that we could have spent on our own citizens if this problem is not solved.”

Analysts from the Office of the State Auditor estimate that there are at least 22,000 illegal immigrants currently living in Mississippi. Using conservative estimates, analysts then estimated that illegal immigration costs Mississippi taxpayers over $100 million annually.

The report shows spending on education, healthcare, and public safety drives this cost. Mississippi taxpayers annually pay around:

• $25 million to educate illegal immigrants in K-12 public schools
• $77 million to provide healthcare to illegal immigrants and their children
• $1.7 million to incarcerate illegal immigrants

The full report titled “How Illegal Immigration Hurts Taxpayers” can be found on the “Reports” tab on the Auditor’s website and searching “immigration.”

Shad White began his first term as the 42nd State Auditor of Mississippi in July of 2018 and then won re-election to his first and second term in the office after establishing a tough, no-nonsense reputation. In his time as State Auditor, White’s team has stopped the largest public fraud in state history, made the largest civil recovery after an auditor’s investigation in the history of the office, and concluded cases that, collectively, led to hundreds of years of prison sentences for fraudsters. He holds a certificate in forensic accounting, is a Certified Fraud Examiner, and serves as a captain in the Mississippi National Guard. The son of an oilfield pumper and public school teacher, White grew up in rural Jones County and went on to earn degrees from Ole Miss, the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, and Harvard Law School. Today he, his wife Rina, and their children live in Rankin County and attend St. Richard Church.