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. 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.