Republicans on Capitol Hill have sent a letter of objection to plans by the Biden administration to pay illegal immigrant families large sums of taxpayer money.
The Biden administration has confirmed reports it is considering making payouts to immigrant families who were “separated at the border” during the Trump administration. The payouts are estimated to be in the range of $450,000 apiece, and reportedly could total close to $1 billion dollars in all.
The “separations” of illegal immigrant adults and children occurred just as they do with American families when an adult is charged with a crime. Typically, the adult is held in jail and, since any of the adult’s children cannot be held in the jail, the families are “separated.”
However, illegal immigrant advocates object to foreign adults who cross the border illegally being prosecuted normally in the criminal justice system for violating US immigration laws.
Payments to families where adults allegedly committed one or more crimes and were separated from minors who crossed with them would be made to address several lawsuits brought against several US agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice by families seeking compensatory relief for the “lasting psychological trauma” they endured.
President Biden initially responded to questions about the payouts in recent days by saying the media reports were “garbage” and that $450,000 payments are “not gonna happen.” However, a White House spokesman later followed up by stating that Biden does not oppose payments to the illegal immigrant families.
To make their opposition known, Sens. Marsha Blackburn, (R-Tenn.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) along with other Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans have written letter to Biden to denounce the payouts.
The senators wrote, “At a time when respect for our country’s immigration laws is at an all-time low, our federal government is now seeking to financially reward aliens who broke our laws.”
Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) joined Blackburn and Kennedy in asking the president to refuse to issue any settlement payments for immigrants who broke U.S. laws.
Read entire letter here
