Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the federal government spends an average of $18,225 per case to prosecute and deport undocumented immigrants, offering one of the clearest public estimates to date of the cost associated with the administration's enforcement strategy.
Mullin disclosed the figure during an appearance on Fox News, where he linked the cost to legal requirements embedded in the immigration system. "Because of the way the laws are written and the way they can claim asylum, we have to provide the attorney for the individuals... and then we have to pay to deport the individual," he said.
