Republicans demand answers from Mayorkas, Garland and Becerra
Many House Republicans are sending a letter to three of President Biden’s Cabinet secretaries about reports that their organizations are discussing giving illegal immigrants separated at the border under the past admin $450,000 each.
The Republicans are demanding answers from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Forty-five House Republicans, including House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana, GOP Caucus Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York and Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, have endorsed onto the letter, which is driven by North Carolina Rep. Greg Murphy.
In the letter, the Republicans layout their “severe concerns” over reports that the organizations are thinking about paying $450,000 to illegal migrants separated at the boundary under the Trump organization.
“The rationale for this egregious abuse of taxpayer dollars is to compensate these persons for ‘lasting psychological trauma,’” the legislators wrote in the letter got by Fox News. “Do, however, note that these persons crossed into our country in a knowingly illegal manner, fully aware of the consequences of violating our rule of law.”
“Promising tens of thousands of dollars to those who unlawfully entered the United States would not only reward criminal behavior, but it would surely send a message to the world that our borders are open and our rule of law will not be enforced,” the letter also reads.
The officials charged that the Biden organization “has been incentivizing illegal immigration since its first day in office” when he struck several Trump-era border policies, which the lawmakers wrote has led to “the worst self-inflicted border crisis in history.”
Murphy and his partners likewise cautioned that if the Biden organization chooses to pay the countless dollars in citizen cash to “thousands of illegal immigrants,” the administration “will unilaterally incentivize migrants from more than 150 nations across the world to surge our border.”
“Compare this hefty compensation sum to the 2019 average median American household annual income of $68,703,” they composed. “Furthermore, compare it to the maximum payout from a SGLI life insurance policy for military members, which is $400,000.”
“At a time when the American household is dealing with historic rates of inflation and the price of average consumer goods – groceries, gasoline, and heating – have risen exponentially, it’s shocking that our government is considering rewarding illegal activity for purely political reasons,” the Republicans also composed.
“Why is this potential compensation for families separated in 2018 under the previous administration and not those separated between 2008-2016 or since 2021?” the legislators placed.
The administrators finished up the letter by requesting the secretaries to “reconsider” their “horrific decision” and “rescind any potential action to this effect,” as well as demanding answers on the inte-department talks “as soon as humanly possible.”
“We are more than able to meet to discuss this urgent travesty,” they composed.
The Wall Street Journal provided details regarding Thursday that the three organizations were in converses with make the installments to the illegal immigrants.
The Journal stated the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services are “considering payments that could amount to close to $1 million a family,” however last installment sums could change as “families would likely get smaller payouts, depending on their circumstances.”
The sources additionally let the Journal know that around 940 cases have been documented by migrant families who were separated at the border.