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Fast Fact: Illinois taxpayers paid $1.6 billion for illegal migrants to get free healthcare, daycare, housing, travel, food and cashState audits and budget reports show the fiscal crisis in the Governor Pritzkers Illinois, is due to illegal migrants receiving comprehensive coverage and benefits that critics say are better than what working Illinois families can access.Senator Syverson has warned that these programs – launched under Pritzker's administration – prioritize illegal migrants at the expense of residents who have paid into the system their entire lives. "Illinois is hemorrhaging money on benefits for those who entered the country illegally, while our own veterans, seniors, and families wait in line for basic care" Syverson stated in recent legislative discussions. 'The senator's call to action comes during a larger migrant spending spree projected to top $2.5 billion by the end of this year, including housing and other welfare benefits.The healthcare programs in question:Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA) and Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors (HBIS), Which were designed to cover low-income illegal migrants that are ineligible for federal Medicaid. Launched in 2022 and 2020 they have ballooned in cost due to unexpectedly high enrollment and utilization rates. Over 33,000 illegal migrants aged 42-64 were enrolled in HBIA before its termination on July 1.HBIA alone racked up more than $1 billion in four years – nearly quadruple the original $485 million estimate – while HBIS overshot projections by 84%, costing $412 million instead of $224 million through 2024. Additional 2025 spending hit $629 million.illegal migrant recipients under 65 receive full benefits including preventive care, dental, and vision – perks often limited or absent for low-income citizens on basic Medicaid plans.Beyond healthcare, Pritzker's "Welcoming with Dignity" initiative has funneled nearly $500 million since 2023 into a web of support for illegal migrants arriving primarily in Chicago. Hundreds of millions for emergency transitional housing and rental assistance, accommodating tens of thousands in state-funded shelters during the biden-era migrant influx from the southern border.Emergency provisions through food banks and pantries, connected illegal migrant families to taxpayer-backed meal programs that bypass federal restrictions on non-citizen eligibility.They get:Access to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) for illegal migrant parentsDirect rental stipends and one-time cash grants via welcome centers, totaling over $100 million in fiscal 2025HBIA, was supposed to cost $485 million over four years, but instead cost more than $1 billion. HBIS blew past its budget by 84%, totaling $412 million through 2024. illegal migrants enjoyed comprehensive coverage, including dental and vision services often denied to low-income American citizens on standard Medicaid, a disparity Syverson slammed as "unacceptable favoritism."