The Patriot Post® · RNC: Biden's Border Bloodbath
By the Republican National Committee
BIDEN’S BORDER CRISIS IS A FULL-BLOWN INVASION
- Since Biden opened the southern border more than 2 million illegal immigrants have flooded the country, including 7.4 million illegal immigrants encountered by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and another 1.8 million known gotaways that have escaped CBP.
- Biden broke the all-time record for illegal immigrant encounters at the southern border three years in a row, with last year seeing a staggering 2.5 million encounters.
- Border officials admit the official number of gotaways vastly undercounts the illegal immigrants who make it into the U.S.
- Consequently, the flood of illegal immigration enabled by Biden is siphoning dollars and services from American citizens while state and local budgets grow increasingly strained.
- Biden is now pushing to use Medicaid funding for sanctuary cities and states struggling to house and care for illegal immigrants that have arrived from the southern border.
- Massachusetts has requested “$2 billion in federal reimbursements” to have Medicaid cover the cost of migrant housing.
- The Biden administration has also given millions in taxpayer dollars to left-wing groups that help facilitate mass illegal migration and provide legal services to fight deportation orders.
- One federal contractor alone has received over $1.11 billion since January 2021 to transport migrant families and unaccompanied children in government custody.
- Two left-wing nonprofits have been given at least $391 million by the Biden administration to provide illegal immigrants legal services to fight deportation.
TAXPAYERS ARE FOOTING THE BILL FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
- American taxpayer dollars are being used by the Biden administration to fund welfare programs for illegal immigrants.
- Biden unilaterally paroled over one million illegal immigrants in an “unprecedented” way.
- Under welfare law, illegal immigrants given parole become “qualified aliens” eligible for various welfare programs on a sliding scale, with all of them eligible within five years.
- Numerous state exceptions also exist that allow additional illegal immigrants to be eligible for welfare.
- The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) calculated that welfare for one million illegal immigrants will cost American taxpayers an additional $3 billion per year.
- Biden approved requests from Washington and Colorado to give illegal immigrants taxpayer-subsidized health insurance, citing “health equity.”
- At least 12 states plus D.C. offer illegal immigrants taxpayer-subsidized health insurance.
- Colorado alone will receive $1.6 billion in pass-through funding from the federal government over five years to facilitate its healthcare exchanges intended for illegal immigrants.
- Biden opened Medicaid and Obamacare to at least half a million more illegal immigrants in April 2023.
- New York City Democrats are now handing out prepaid debit cards to illegal immigrants, costing city taxpayers $53 million.
- Biden unilaterally paroled over one million illegal immigrants in an “unprecedented” way.
- The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee estimated that taxpayers could pay up to $451 billion to care for illegal immigrants and gotaways that have entered the United States since January 2021.
- The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) calculated that American taxpayers pay at least $182 billion annually to cover the costs incurred by the presence of 20 million illegal immigrants and their children, which includes $66.5 billion in federal expenses plus an additional $115.6 billion in state and local expenses.
- According to FAIR, illegal immigrants and their children account for $73.19 billion in state and local education expenses plus $6.6 billion in federal education expenses, which includes:
- Approximately $3 billion spent annually on Title I-A grants for K-12 students linked to illegal immigration under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
- Nearly $581 million spent in FY 2022 alone on Title III-A grants for illegal immigrants and their children under Limited English Proficiency (LEP) programs.
- Approximately $239 million spent in FY 2022 alone on educating the children of illegal immigrants through Title I-C funds from the Migrant Education Program (MEP).
- Over $2.7 billion of federal Head Start expenditures attributed to illegal immigrants.
- According to FAIR, illegal immigrants and their children account for $21.81 billion in state and local medical expenses plus $23 billion in federal medical expenditures, which includes:
- About $8.2 billion in unpaid hospital expenses incurred by illegal immigrants reimbursed by the federal government.
- Nearly $1.6 billion from Medicaid to cover birthing costs for illegal immigrant mothers.
- Nearly $8 billion from fraudulent Medicaid payouts to illegal immigrants.
- $5.4 billion in federal Medicaid expenses for U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants.
- According to FAIR, illegal immigrants and their children account for $18.63 billion in state and local expenses for justice administration plus more than $25 billion in federal justice enforcement expenses, which includes:
- About $1.7 billion spent annually on criminal immigrants incarcerated in federal prison plus transportation for illegal immigrants in custody.
- Around $1.7 billion on non-ERO proceedings conducted by Homeland Security Investigations in FY 2022 alone.
- $234 million to reimburse costs incurred by states from incarcerated illegal immigrants through the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP).
- $622 million for the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review in FY 2022 alone.
- At least $8 million on HHS care for unaccompanied children just in FY 2022 – note that budget filings put this number even higher, with HHS spending more than $20.74 billion total between FY 2021 and FY 2024.
- About $4.2 million from Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance grants to state and local law enforcement that are attributable to the arrest, prosecution, and incarceration of illegal immigrants.
- According to FAIR, illegal immigrants and their children account for $1.98 billion in state and local welfare expenses plus about $11.6 billion in federal welfare expenses, which includes:
- Approximately $1.6 billion from USDA Food and Nutrition Service, such as the National School Lunch Program and others that provide subsidized meals at school.
- About $5.8 billion on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP), also known as food stamps.
- Nearly $1 billion on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
- $1.4 billion from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program that provides temporary cash assistance to supplement earned income.
- $911 million from the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program.
- $600 million from the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.
- At least $334 million on public housing benefits.
- According to FAIR, illegal immigrants and their children account for $73.19 billion in state and local education expenses plus $6.6 billion in federal education expenses, which includes:
- In addition, at least $685 million has been allocated through FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) since 2021 to assist illegal immigrants with transportation and basic needs.
AMNESTY THREATENS SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE
- Democrats’ push to give mass amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants would devastate already-struggling programs like Social Security and Medicare that are vital for millions of Americans.
- In its current state, Medicare will be unable to provide full benefits for its 65 million recipients by 2031, and Social Security will be unable to provide full benefits for the 66 million retirees by 2033.
- Medicare and Social Security are only expected to become more expensive in the future.
- If granted mass amnesty, millions of illegal immigrants would begin to drain more funds from Social Security and Medicare more than they currently contribute in taxes.
- According to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), illegal immigrants tend to earn less and work fewer years in the U.S. than typical Social Security and Medicare recipients, making them a net drain under the progressive benefit structure.
- Amnesty would impose a lifetime net cost of around $129,000 per amnesty recipient on Social Security and Medicare Part A.
- If 10 million illegal immigrants received amnesty, it would cost Social Security and Medicare approximately $1.3 trillion.