H.R. 1 passed in July allocates $170 billion to DHS for immigration and border enforcement over four years.
In September DHS said over 400,000 had been deported since January 20th.
So in eight months that's 50,000 deported per month at a cost of $3.542 billion per month, or $70,833 per person deported.
It would have been far cheaper to cut illegals off at the source, by going after their employers instead of going after each and every illegal employee.
But that would have been a really bad look, in a country where the employer can do no wrong and the full time job is the summum bonum.
The red meat of the current deportation theatre is far more useful to Trump as politics. It must be thrown daily to keep the base energized, the warriors busy, and the emperor in the spotlight.
"Boy, that Trump is really doing a great job! Look at that! He got another one!".
Nevermind that the best he'll ever do like this is 2.4 million deportees, when we've got many millions more than that. The easy pickings are soon to be exhausted, if they aren't already. And it will only get harder from here.
Remember that just a few months ago the goal was 3,000 deportees per day, or 4.38 million in four years. The goalposts have already been moved, and they'll no doubt be moved again. We're down to 1,666 per day on their own accounting.
That's how you know this is not serious.
The spectacle is the whole point.
