US Could Save Billions with Immigration Reform

Taxpayers paying tens of billions for militarized immigration system, but civil approach could cut costs

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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American taxpayers are paying tens of billions of dollars per year for a militarized immigration system, but using a civil legal approach instead of enforcement and expensive detention methods could save billions over a decade, according to a letter to the editor. The author suggests reforms such as transferring serious criminal investigations to the DOJ/FBI, creating a civil immigration compliance agency, guaranteeing legal representation, limiting detention, and expanding legal work visas.

Why it matters

The current immigration system is seen as overly expensive, redundant, and relying too heavily on enforcement and detention. Shifting to a more civil, legal-based approach could potentially save taxpayers significant sums of money while still addressing immigration issues.

The details

The letter outlines several reform suggestions to create a more cost-effective civil immigration system, including transferring serious criminal investigations to the DOJ/FBI, creating a new civil immigration compliance agency, guaranteeing legal representation, limiting detention to only those deemed public safety/flight risks, establishing regional processing centers, and expanding legal work visas to meet labor demands.

  • The letter was published on February 21, 2026.

The players

Elaine Shamos

The author of the letter, who holds an MPH degree.

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What they’re saying

“American taxpayers are paying tens of billions of dollars per year for a militarized immigration system. The fact is that immigration is a civil legal issue, but we are using the most expensive approach by using enforcement and hugely expensive detention methods.”

— Elaine Shamos, Letter author (pressherald.com)

The takeaway

Shifting the immigration system to a more civil, legal-based approach could potentially save taxpayers billions of dollars while still addressing immigration issues, according to the letter's proposals for reform.