That's why I stressed the "being housed" part, which the commenter to whom I responded asserted was being provided for all illegals residents (or at least multiple millions of them anyway). And in France would cost (at the very inside) some 4.2 billion euros per year, by some napkin math. That is, at least 4x the cost of health care.

So that was my concern -- what purpose is served by promoting a grossly exaggerated characterization of the actual cost of having these people around?

How do you justify things like illegal immigrants having a 75% off on their subway pass[1] in Paris (I just paid mine 86€ today for the month) while a French national on unemployment benefits like I am currently doesn't even have a 25% off?

If it were up to me, I'd stick it incrementally to you-know-who have you also getting a Solidarité reduction. But that's obviously not kind thing the voting public wants to hear these days.