How much does illegal immigration cost in the United States? Not as much as Trump claims.

As President Donald Trump pushed Congress this week to give him the funds claimed for the construction of his border wall, some His speech was based on the false claim that illegal immigration costs the country hundreds of billions of dollars.

Lose $ 5 billion for his promised wall along the US-Mexico border would be a pittance, he suggested several times. The wall would be profitable, he explained.

Earlier in December, he said the cost was $ 250 billion a year. On December 18, he estimated the cost at "more than $ 200 billion a year." At a bill signing ceremony at the White House on Thursday, he said: "Illegal immigration costs $ 275 billion a year to our country."

We checked his figures regarding the economic impact of immigrants. We checked his figures with those experts on immigration and tax policy, who claimed he was exaggerating the best.

"This figure of $ 200 billion seems inflated," said Randy Capps, director of research on US programs at the Migration Policy Institute, a non-partisan organization.

"A bit high," said Robert Rector, senior researcher at the Heritage Foundation. [19659007] "This sounds extremely high," said Meg Wiehe, deputy director of the non-partisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP).

"Frankly absurd," David Dyssegaard Kallick, deputy director of non-partisan budget policy Center, told NBC News.

If Trump is wrong, what is the real cost?

Conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation sought to put a price tag on illegal immigration as part of the lobbying efforts against legalization, but none rated it as high. according to the estimate of Trump.

The Rector explained that his 2013 estimate set the cost of undocumented immigrants (the cost of services received minus their tax contributions) at about $ 54 billion a year.

A precise cost is almost impossible to establish, many experts told me. This is partly because undocumented migrants operate in the shadows, leaving their full tax contributions – and the use of taxpayer-funded resources – at least partly unknown.

"It is very difficult to calculate the" net cost "or the" net profit "of anybody, we use all kinds of services, from roads to military protection, how can we divide what part of this right is used by myself or by an immigrant? "said Kallick.

Overall, there is a wide misunderstanding about the contribution of undocumented immigrants in the US balance sheet and the benefits they receive from taxpayers, experts told NBC News.

"Undocumented immigrants are incredible contributors Wiehe said.

It is estimated that half of the nation's undocumented immigrants would work under fake social security numbers, which means they're paying Taxes and Social Security ITEP estimates that state and local governments collect $ 11.74 billion a year from undocumented immigrants.

Wiehe adds that undocumented immigrants nor do they qualify for the federal tax credit on earned income, so that they are taxed at rates higher than those of similar countries.

Capps said that immigrants undocumented also pay taxes in other ways: pay sales tax on the items they buy and finance property taxes through rents too.

Meanwhile, immigrants without p are not eligible for Social Security. According to Capps, an expert on the Migration Policy Institute, the vast majority of taxpayer-funded social assistance programs, such as food stamps and cash assistance,

There are some notable exceptions: many receive medical care in emergency rooms; and some undocumented immigrants are able to receive taxpayer-funded benefits under the Women, Infants and Children program, which helps provide pregnant women and children with food and formula. low income Mothers and young children who are breastfeeding,

According to experts, the most important costs to taxpayers come from public education, which all students are eligible to receive regardless of the immigration status.

Researchers and advocates are divided on whether or not to consider the education and well-being of American-born children born to undocumented immigrants as a part of the cost of undocumented immigrants, but most say it is at least worth considering. The rector said that it was an important factor in his estimate.

"Public education is the place where the most important cost comes into play," Capps said. "The amount of taxes that parents pay on their earnings, which they pay through property taxes – passed on to their rent – will not be as much spent on public education for their children and on food vouchers. for their children. "

Still, says Capps, second-generation immigrants – the children of undocumented immigrants born in the United States – often succeed much better than their parents and can give a boost to the economy. US.

"They will repay it In the long run, part of that cost – especially public education – is profitable," said Capps. "Some people will just focus on the much higher cost of unauthorized immigrants than they pay for it, but that does not take into account the economic situation as a whole."

Kallick said that the cost debate was not relevant to the country's necessary tax conversations, especially in a country with citizens operating on a negative net balance – a deficit.

"Basically, I think that's the wrong question.The right question for undocumented immigrants and all groups is:" do they pay their fair share of tax? "And get it their fair share of the service? "said Kallick. "You talk about people who work for very low wages and are excluded from almost all social services.It takes a real act of will to say that they are exploiting us."

Jane C. Timm

Jane C Timm is a political journalist and fact-finder for NBC News.