If You Want Mass Deportations, You Can’t Have Less Government
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have one job: to cut the size of government. President-elect Donald Trump asked their Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to advise the administration on how to “dismantle government bureaucracy” within a year and a half. On the Lex Fridman Podcast earlier this month, Ramaswamy explained how deep the envisioned cuts are.
“If your Social Security number ends in an odd number, you’re out. It ends in an even number, you’re in. There’s a 50 percent cut right there. Of those who remain, if your Social Security number starts with an even number, you’re in, and if it starts with an odd number, you’re out. Boom. That’s a 75 percent reduction,” Ramaswamy said. “So now imagine you could do that same thought experiment, but not just doing it at random.”
It’s hard to square those kinds of cuts—or any cuts at all—with Trump’s plan for “the largest deportation program in American history” as soon as he comes into office. The Department of Homeland Security, which would be responsible for immigrant roundups, has the second-largest civilian staff of any federal agency. In fact, any serious deportation program would probably require hiring more government employees.
Lex Fridman, host of the Lex Fridman Podcast, asked Ramaswamy about exactly that issue. Ramaswamy tried to downplay the cost of immigration enforcement. “If you look at the number of people who are looking after the border, it’s not even 0.1 percent of the federal employee base today,” he said. That’s not quite true. Together, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection employ 88,000 people, out of a total federal civilian work force of 2.3 million, comprising nearly 4 percent of federal employees.
And actually carrying out deportations on the scale Trump wants might require doubling the size of the Department of Homeland Security, which currently employs 222,539 employees total. A report last month by the American Immigration Council calculated that rounding up all 13.3 million undocumented migrants would require hiring 220,000–409,000 federal government staff and cost $89.3 billion. Staggering the roundups at a rate of 1 million per
Article from Reason.com
The Reason Magazine website is a go-to destination for libertarians seeking cogent analysis, investigative reporting, and thought-provoking commentary. Championing the principles of individual freedom, limited government, and free markets, the site offers a diverse range of articles, videos, and podcasts that challenge conventional wisdom and advocate for libertarian solutions. Whether you’re interested in politics, culture, or technology, Reason provides a unique lens that prioritizes liberty and rational discourse. It’s an essential resource for those who value critical thinking and nuanced debate in the pursuit of a freer society.
