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Fox News repeatedly misled viewers about the financial impact of Trump’s latest executive order targeting immigrants

Fox conflated benefits for authorized immigrants and American children with money spent on “illegal migrants”

Written by Torri Lonergan & Emma Mae Weber

Research contributions from Ben Van Bloem

Published

In reporting on President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at ending aid to so-called “illegal aliens,” Fox News repeatedly touted Congressional Budget Office data estimating that the U.S. government would spend $177 billion by 2034 on immigrants and their children, inaccurately describing it as spending on “illegal migrants.” In reality, that data covers spending on both immigrants with legal status and undocumented immigrants, as well as their American children, and the CBO also estimates a net positive financial impact from immigration.

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  • Trump signed a vague executive order cutting aid to immigrants

    • Trump signed an executive order meant to bar undocumented immigrants from receiving federal benefits, even though they were already mostly ineligible. The order suggested that by providing undocumented immigrants with government benefits, American taxpayers were incentivizing illegal immigration. However, undocumented immigrants have historically been ineligible to receive most federal benefits, especially since the passage of federal welfare laws in 1996. [White House, 2/19/25; National Immigration Law Center, 5/1/24]
    • The executive order does not make clear which specific benefits will be cut or for whom. The order instructs states not to use federal funds to carry out “sanctuary policies” and requires federal benefit programs to strengthen their screening procedures to ensure that no undocumented immigrants are approved. The order does not specify whether Trump intends to exclude undocumented immigrant children from public schools, a practice that the Supreme Court deemed illegal in 1982. [Politico, 2/20/25; NPR, 2/20/25] 

  • The CBO estimates the US will spend $177 billion on immigrants — both documented and undocumented — from 2024-2034

    • The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the U.S. government would spend $177 billion between 2024 and 2034 on both documented and undocumented immigrants who entered the country between 2021 and 2026 and their U.S.-born children. Immigrants who “have received permission to enter or remain in the country,” as well as the American-born children of these immigrants, are included in the data. [Congressional Budget Office, July 2024]
    • The CBO also estimates the recent immigration surge will boost the gross domestic product by nearly $9 trillion over the 10-year period. A separate and comprehensive 2023 Cato Institute study on the fiscal impact of immigration also found that “immigration will have a large and consistent net positive impact on all government budgets.” [Congressional Budget Office, July 2024; Cato Institute, 3/21/23]

  • Fox misled viewers by citing the CBO estimate as spending on “illegal aliens” in reporting on Trump’s order

    • While reporting on Trump’s plan to cut spending on undocumented immigrants, Fox News correspondent Griff Jenkins inaccurately characterized the CBO projected costs, saying it “estimates current benefits for illegal migrants over the next 10 years would include over $175 billion.” In another appearance, Jenkins said that “more than $175 billion worth of federal benefits … was set to go to illegal migrants and their children.” He went on to cite this misleading data during at least two other correspondent segments. [Fox News, The Story with Martha MacCallum, 2/20/24; Special Report with Bret Baier, 2/20/25; America’s Newsroom, 2/20/25; The Faulkner Focus, 2/20/25]
    • Fox News anchor John Roberts inaccurately cited the CBO data, saying “illegal aliens” are costing American taxpayers $174 billion, and citing other debunked data. [Fox News, America Reports, 2/20/25; Media Matters, 2/20/25]
    • Fox News host Carley Shimkus inaccurately referenced the figure, saying there’s a “number that the Congressional Budget Office released … says over the next 10 years the federal government was planning on spending $177 billion on benefits for illegal immigrants.” [Fox News, Outnumbered, 2/20/25]
    • Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson also inaccurately reported that “Trump's executive order bars illegal aliens from receiving federally funded benefits to the total of $177 billion.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 2/20/25]
    • Fox anchor Martha MacCallum described the executive order as a “move to stop taxpayer money from funding hundreds of billions of dollars to provide services for illegal immigrants, which is actually against U.S. law.” [Fox News, The Story with Martha MacCallum, 2/20/25]