Sens. Cruz, Kennedy, Judiciary Committee Republicans Oppose Biden Plan to Pay Illegal Immigrants With Taxpayer Dollars
‘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’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Kennedy (R-La.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to President Biden to oppose his administration’s reported plan to offer illegal immigrants up to $450,000 per person in taxpayer dollars to settle lawsuits resulting from those individuals violating U.S. immigration law. According to media reporting, the federal government is considering paying out more than $1 billion to illegal immigrants based on allegations against the Department of Homeland Security.
In the letter, 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.”
[…]
“These illegal immigrants disregarded our immigration processes, cut in front of those seeking to legally enter our nation, and put children at risk of great personal injury or death by placing them in the hands of abusive smugglers. Not only would these settlements be breathtakingly unjust and unwise, but they reinforce the conditions that make it easy for the cartels to recruit more people to undertake the treacherous journey to our southwest border, and serve only to encourage more illegal immigration.”
[…]
“Americans are a kind and generous people who welcome a diverse array of immigrants from around the world. Our nation has been made stronger by the generations of legal immigrants that have contributed to our country and achieved the American Dream. But rewarding illegal immigration with financial payments runs counter to our laws and would only serve to encourage more lawlessness at our border.”
Read the full text of the letter here and below.
President Joseph Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Biden,
I write to you today regarding disturbing media reports indicating that the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services plan to offer illegal immigrants hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of taxpayer dollars to settle lawsuits resulting from their violations of U.S. immigration law.
Already this year, this administration has pursued border policies that have undermined our national security and created a preventable crisis at United States-Mexico border. These policies include ending border wall construction, supporting sanctuary jurisdictions, and weakening immigration enforcement policies by terminating the “Remain in Mexico Policy” and creating exceptions to Title 42 enforcement. All the while, our nation continues to see a record number of encounters at the border, including a current caravan of thousands of migrants from across the globe working its way north through Mexico to the United States.
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. These illegal immigrants disregarded our immigration processes, cut in front those seeking to legally enter our nation, and put children at risk of great personal injury or death. Not only would these settlements be breathtakingly unjust and unwise, but they would serve only to encourage more illegal immigration.
Americans are a kind and generous people who welcome a diverse array of immigrants from around the world. Our nation has been made stronger by the generations of legal immigrants that have contributed to our country and achieved the American Dream. But rewarding illegal immigration with financial payments runs counter to our laws and would only serve to encourage more lawlessness at our borders. To that end, I ask that your administration refuse to issue any settlement payments for aliens who broke our laws.
Sincerely,
/s/
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