FAIRFIELD – Gov. Ned Lamont disputes the figure cited by the conservative-leaning think tank Yankee Institute for how much state government spends on undocumented, or illegal, immigrants.
During an interview with WTNH TV host Dennis House on his This Week show Feb. 16, Yankee Institute for Public Policy President Carol Platt Liebau said one way the state could save money would be to look at the $1.3 billion it spends on illegal immigrants.
“We are spending $1.3 billion on services for people who are here illegally,” she told House. “So, that’s another thing we could look at. It’s all kinds of services, whether it’s on health or welfare. That’s a significant amount of money we are taking a look at.”
In a press gaggle at Tuesday’s annual chambers breakfast at Fairfield University, Gov. Lamont was not convinced that was an accurate figure.
‘“I haven’t seen the numbers,” the governor said. “They don’t make any sense to me. I just ask the press, ‘Don’t repeat the accusation and say show me documentation for that inflated number and we’ll do the same for you and show you what we are doing.”
“We provide kids up to age 12 some healthcare. We can say let’s throw them off. That’s $40 million. But they’re still kids. We’re still going to have to take care of them. Whether we do it through Medicaid or the hospitals do it, you still got to take care of people.”
According to the World Population Review, as of 2024 Connecticut had 225,000 illegal immigrants and children who they spent $5,694 per immigrant for a total taxpayer burden of $1.28 billion. That was the ninth highest in the nation.
On the other hand, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, illegal immigrants in Connecticut paid more than $400 million in taxes in 2022.
Republicans were quick to jump on Liebau’s comments.
Earlier this week, the Yankee Institute reported that the State of Connecticut spends $1.3 billion on illegal immigrants, which includes the cost of Medicaid, Medicare, and housing programs.
“I am appalled, but not surprised, that Governor Lamont and Connecticut Democrats are spending billions of dollars of taxpayer money on illegal immigrants,” said Connecticut Republican Chairman Ben Proto. “They continue to prove that their top priority is not the people of Connecticut, but the people who broke our laws to come to our country and our state illegally.”
“$1.3 billion would go a long way to solving so many problems in Connecticut, yet Governor Lamont and Democrats would rather exacerbate those problems by taking our tax dollars and supporting programs that do not benefit the people paying those taxes” said Proto.
“This is all the more alarming considering the absurdly high cost of living in Connecticut due to the failed economic policies of local, state, and national Democrats.
“We have one of the country’s highest electric costs and we have among the highest property taxes on real estate. Connecticut families are struggling, and every dime that goes to illegal immigrants is money that could have been used to provide our citizens with economic relief.”
