Chicago City Wire

By the end of this calendar year, Illinois will have spent over $2.5 billion over the past five years on health care and housing for migrants, many of whom are here illegally, a recent report by the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) shows. The amount is far greater than originally anticipated.

An audit of health care costs compared state estimates versus actual expenditures. Health care coverage for seniors, for instance, was originally estimated to cost $224 million from 2021 to 2023. Actual expenditures were 84% higher at $412.3 million, auditors found.

The adult program (42-64) overruns were even more dramatic. The expected cost was originally $126.4 million for the three-year period. Actual expenditures came to $485.3 million—nearly four times higher than expected.

IPI spokesman Micky Horstman told Chicago City Wire that determining how many of the migrants receiving health care and housing benefits are here illegally is difficult to pinpoint.

“It's not just Illegal migrants but migrants who are non-citizens and thus non-eligible for Medicaid. Undocumented migrants make a significant share of that total though,” Horstman said. “The $478 million [amount spent beyond health care] is mostly for asylum seekers. Saying illegal gets a bit tricky since there are caveats to legality of certain migrants.”

Other higher than expected costs include: In 2023 alone, total costs outpaced expected spending by over $400 million, enough money to shelter Illinois’ entire homeless population for a year.

The audit also found the state spent an additional $719 million for fiscal year 2024.

The state originally expected to spend $629 million on migrant health care for fiscal year 2025, $440 million of which will come out of state general funds. Considering the state’s track record, it could be much higher.

IPI points out that the cost overruns for the migrant programs come just as the state approves a budget, one “largely relying on gimmicks and one-time revenue to cover deficits.”

“Amid these fiscal challenges, Pritzker is set to testify before Congress on June 12 regarding state immigration policies. U.S. Rep. James Comer has accused the governor of obstructing federal immigration enforcement and demanded explanations for prioritizing migrant spending over taxpayer concerns.”

The report comes as the architect of President Trump’s deportation policies Stephen Miller, instructed ICE agents in late May to step up efforts to remove those her illegally. Since then, the number of arrests has risen to 2,000 per day with a goal of 3,000 per day.

According to the Wall Street Journal report, Miller instructed them to target Home Deports, where day laborers gather for hire and convenience stores like 7-Eleven.

“ICE agents appeared to follow Miller’s tip and conducted an immigration sweep Friday at the Home Depot in the predominantly Latino neighborhood of Westlake in Los Angeles,” the report said.

Anti-ICE protests, which began in Chicago on Tuesday, are expected to continue throughout the week.