WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- The U.S. government estimates it would cost $94 billion to remove the 12 million people thought to be illegally living in the country.

Julie Myers, head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told a Senate committee Wednesday that the estimate, which she said was based on "very rough calculations," represents the cost of detaining and removing the illegal immigrants, CNN reported Thursday.

However, an ICE spokesman said the figure does not include costs related to finding the illegals and related court costs.

He said the amount was reached by multiplying the estimated amount of illegal immigrants in the United States, 12 million, by the average cost of detaining a person for one day, $97, and then multiplying the total by the average length of detention, 32 days. Transportation costs, approximately $1,000 per person, and personal costs were also factored in, he said.