Nevada taxpayers contributed $2.7 billion toward mass deportations in 2025, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a progressive-leaning think tank focused on labor and economic policy. Clark County residents accounted for $1.8 billion of that total, while Washoe County taxpayers bore nearly $600,000. Nevada ranks among the states with the highest share of foreign-born workers in its labor force, with immigrants concentrated heavily in the Las Vegas-area hospitality and service sectors that anchor the state's economy.

Drawing on IRS statistics of income, an Institute for Policy Studies cost estimate of the Trump administration's 2025 deportation program, and other data sources, EPI calculated that the deportations cost the average taxpayer $2,421. The organization argues those funds could alternatively have been directed toward SNAP benefits for 1.3 million people, Medicaid coverage for 187,000 individuals, medical care for 47,000 veterans, or the salaries of 10,000 school teachers in Nevada.

The EPI analysis breaks down state-by-state taxpayer contributions to mass deportations following the enactment of Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act in 2025. The 900-page legislation expands the Department of Homeland Security's detainment budget and quadruples Immigration and Customs Enforcement's annual detention budget.

Under the law, the administration committed to removing one million immigrants per year, providing Border Patrol and ICE agents a $10,000 annual bonus over four years, expanding detention centers to hold 10,000 immigrants, and further extending the border wall.

Simultaneously, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act enacted cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and other public assistance programs, leaving thousands of Nevadans and millions nationwide in vulnerable positions.

Nationwide, the Trump administration directed $268.9 billion in tax revenue toward mass deportations, equating to $2,358 per taxpayer. EPI notes that amount could have funded 118.2 million SNAP recipients, 1 million firefighters, 9.7 million public housing units, or 12 weeks of paid parental leave for 6.2 million parents.

In 2025, the Department of Homeland Security reported more than 605,000 deportations and 1.9 million immigrants who voluntarily self-deported. ICE also saw its number of officers and agents double since Trump took office.

EPI President Heidi Shierholz said in a statement: "The Trump administration's immigration policy is not just inhumane, it is also a huge waste of public resources."

"Every dollar spent on mass deportations is a dollar not spent on critical investments like education, health care, and affordable housing," Shierholz added.

Source: Raw Story