The cost of deportation
From attorney fees to surging bond amounts, facing removal in Arizona can cost families upwards of $50,000
The cost of immigration enforcement for taxpayers is well known. The Department of Homeland Security’s fiscal year 2027 budget request totaled more than $118 billion, including funding for border security and immigration enforcement. But far less visible is the private cost borne by immigrants and their families once someone is placed in removal proceedings. Those costs can begin immediately and compound quickly: from attorney fees and court filings, to commissary and phone calls while in detention, to the financial strain of lost wages and supporting a household when a primary breadwinner is detained.
This video looks at that lesser-seen side of the system through the experiences of individuals caught up in Arizona’s immigration courts. For families already stretched thin, each step in the process can become another financial hurdle, layered on top of the fear of removal and family separation.
Note: This story was produced by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, based at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The Howard Center is an initiative of the Scripps Howard Fund in honor of the late news industry executive and pioneer Roy W. Howard.
Contact us at howardcenter@asu.edu and follow us on X and Instagram @HowardCenterASU.
is a digital journalist from Phoenix, Arizona.