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Texas hospitals were hit with more than $1 billion in health care costs racked up by illegal immigrants during fiscal year 2025, the first year the state began tracking the figures.
The data, compiled by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and obtained by Texas Scorecard, shows hospitals logged 313,742 visits linked to individuals not legally present, with total costs reaching $1.05 billion by the end of the fiscal year.
Texas’ fiscal year runs from Sept. 1 through Aug. 31, but hospitals were only required to begin reporting in November. Based on the reported data, costs averaged about $105 million per month, meaning the true annual total could be significantly higher.
MIGRANT INFLUX PUSHING MASS. SHELTER COSTS PAST $1B IN FY25: REPORT
Medical staff transport a patient through a hospital corridor in Texas. (Brandon Bell / Getty Images)
To put the figures into perspective, the reported hospital costs approach about 1% of the state’s tax-funded resources.
The figures were collected under an executive order signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in August 2024 that mandated the agency track the number of “individuals not lawfully present” in the U.S. who use Texas public hospitals. Abbott’s executive order directed Texas hospitals to provide HHSC with quarterly breakdowns on patients not lawfully present in the U.S., including the number of inpatient discharges, emergency department visits and the cost of care provided to these patients.
Texas, a border state, reported some of the highest crossing numbers ever recorded under the Biden administration, putting immense pressure on its health care system, Andrew Mahaleris, Abbott’s press secretary, told Fox News Digital previously.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott arrives for an event in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 23, 2025. Abbott signed an executive order in 2024 mandating the Texas Health and Human Services Commission track the number of “individuals not lawfully present”…
