Government funding for immigration enforcement was nearly 14 times as much as for labor standards enforcement: U.S. government funds appropriated for immigration and labor standards enforcement, fiscal year 2023 (in billions)
| Immigration enforcement | Labor standards enforcement | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $30.2 | $2.2 |
Notes: Values are in 2023 dollars and reflect totals for the U.S. government’s fiscal year (October 1 to September 30).
Notes: Values are in 2023 dollars and reflect totals for the U.S. government’s fiscal year (October 1 to September 30). The immigration enforcement total for 2023 includes funding for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Office of Biometric Identity Management, all of which are in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Totals for labor standards enforcement include appropriations for all subagencies, administrations, and offices of the U.S. Department of Labor considered for “worker protection” in budget documents, including the Employee Benefits Security Administration, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, Wage and Hour Division, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, Office of Labor–Management Standards, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Mine Safety and Health Administration, and the Office of the Solicitor, in addition to two other agencies not within the Department of Labor: the National Labor Relations Board and the National Mediation Board.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Fiscal Year 2025—Department of Labor, Budget in Brief; National Mediation Board, Congressional Justifications, fiscal year 2024; National Labor Relations Board, Performance Budget Justification, fiscal year 2025; and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, DHS Budget, FY 2025 Budget in Brief and Congressional Budget Justification Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, section on Management Directorate.
This chart appears in:
- Threatening migrants and shortchanging workers: Immigration is the government’s top federal law enforcement priority, while labor standards enforcement agencies are starved for funding and too understaffed to adequately protect workers
- Costa charts for Senate testimony 2023 in order DO NOT USE
- Testimony prepared for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary for a hearing on ‘From Farm to Table, Immigrant Workers Get the Job Done’
- Immigration report 2024
- The U.S. benefits from immigration but policy reforms needed to maximize gains: Recommendations and a review of key issues to ensure fair wages and labor standards for all workers
- Immigration FAQ 2025 – for updates
- Immigration enforcement and the workplace
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