Democrats’ Taxpayer-Financed State Slush Fund Helps NY & CA As They Dole Out Cash For Illegal Immigrants

New York Democrats Are Sending $2.1 Billion To Illegal Immigrants …

“[A]fter a sweeping move by lawmakers this week, New York will now offer one-time payments of up to $15,600 to undocumented immigrants who lost work during the pandemic. The effort — a $2.1 billion fund in the state budget — is by far the biggest of its kind in the country and a sign of the state’s shift toward policies championed by progressive Democrats…. Undocumented workers could receive up to $15,600, the equivalent of $300 per week for the last year …” (“$2.1 Billion for Undocumented Workers Signals New York’s Progressive Shift,” The New York Times, 4/08/2021)

• “It is hard to quantify the number of undocumented families living in New York, but the left-leaning Fiscal Policy Institute said Wednesday that the fund could benefit as many as 290,000 people statewide.” (“$2.1 Billion for Undocumented Workers Signals New York’s Progressive Shift,” The New York Times, 4/08/2021)

• “The proposal found support in the Democratic-controlled State Senate and Assembly, especially among progressives who had argued for relief for more than a year.” (“$2.1 Billion for Undocumented Workers Signals New York’s Progressive Shift,” The New York Times, 4/08/2021)

… Just Weeks After California Democrats Also Sent Stimulus Payments To Illegal Immigrants

“After weeks of public hearings and closed-door negotiations, California legislators voted Monday to pass $600 one-time payments to households receiving the state’s earned income tax credit, along with an extra $600 for undocumented taxpayers earning less than $75,000 who were ineligible for previous federal stimulus payments and other assistance for low-income residents.” (“Lawmakers Pass $600 Stimulus Checks Plus Boost For Undocumented Workers,” CalMatters, 2/17/2021)

“About 565,000 stimulus payments will go to those with individual tax identification numbers who did not receive [prior] federal stimulus payments and whose income is below $75,000, many of whom are immigrants in the country illegally. Taxpayers with individual identification numbers who also qualify for California’s state earned income tax credit would receive a total of $1,200 in state stimulus.” (“California Legislators Approve $7.6-Billion COVID-19 Package, Including $600 Stimulus Checks,” Los Angeles Times, 2/22/2021)

• “Those who use the identification numbers are usually undocumented immigrants, who were not eligible for federal stimulus payments [in 2020].” (“What to Know About California’s Covid-19 Relief,” The New York Times, 3/01/2021)

And New York And California Will Receive Tens Of Billions Of Dollars In Federal Taxpayer Money Thanks To The Slush Fund For Big-Spending States Democrats In Washington Passed In Their Partisan Stimulus Bill

SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): “The Democrats just don’t know when to stop. First, California announced its 2020 revenues were so good that the state was putting more than $22 billion away in reserves. Now, Illinois is seeing similar good fortunes … But liberals in Washington can’t be bothered by the facts. House and Senate Democrats insist on moving forward with their radical plan to award wasteful bailouts for failed politicians in states like New York and California…. Democrats need to return to reality, remember their obligation to the American taxpayer, and stop using American tax dollars to backfill their friends’ mismanaged pensions and state budgets.” (Sen. Scott, Press Release, 2/10/2021)

SEN. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO (R-WV): “Twenty-one States have actually experienced revenue growth compared to 2019, 2020. Yet this bill expends $350 billion to States. This money needs to be targeted…. And the parameters of this are so loose that I can't imagine what projects will be dreamed up to be spent on.” (Sen. Capito, Congressional Record, S.977, 3/01/2021)

“California, Texas and New York would receive 29% of the $350 billion in direct aid that President Joe Biden has proposed for states and cities in his COVID-19 relief bill, according to a USA TODAY analysis of the projected allocations. Biden’s legislation, which carries a $1.9 trillion overall price tag, was passed by the Senate Saturday after clearing the House previously by a mostly party-line 219-212 vote…. The package includes $350 billion in aid designed to replenish tax revenue collections that decreased during the pandemic …” (“How Much Money Will Your State Get If Biden’s COVID-19 Relief Bill Passes?,” USA Today, 3/04/2021)

• “The federal CARES Act, passed last March under President Donald Trump, provided $150 billion through the Coronavirus Relief Fund across all states, tribal governments, territories and the 38 cities with more than 500,000 people. Funds were limited to expenses ‘directly related’ to COVID-19, not replacing lost revenue like Biden’s bill would do.” (“How Much Money Will Your State Get If Biden’s COVID-19 Relief Bill Passes?,” USA Today, 3/04/2021)

“California, the most populous state, would receive the most money, $42.3 billion – including $26.2 billion for its state government …” (“How Much Money Will Your State Get If Biden’s COVID-19 Relief Bill Passes?,” USA Today, 3/04/2021)

“[T]he third largest recipient would be New York, which would receive $23.5 billion, even though Florida is the third largest state by population, according to U.S. Census Bureau 2020 estimates.” (“How Much Money Will Your State Get If Biden’s COVID-19 Relief Bill Passes?,” USA Today, 3/04/2021)

• “The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package passed by the US Senate wipes out New York State’s projected budget deficit — possibly negating the need for hefty tax hikes or spending cuts, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office said Monday. ‘Ok. Thanks to @SenSchumer NYS budget deficit for this year is…..Zero, nada, niete, zilch (NY terms),’ Schumer spokesman Angelo Roefaro tweeted…. Roefaro continued, ’How NY decides its budgetary policy is a matter for the state legislature and the administration. Our job was to deliver resources to help NY confront and overcome Covid and it’s impacts, including the fiscal impact. And we did that fully and completely.’” (“Schumer Spokesman: Federal Pandemic Relief Eliminates NYS Deficit,” New York Post, 3/08/2021)

Meanwhile, The Crisis On Our Southern Border Continues To Spiral Out Of Control

HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): “The fact is that we’re on a good path at the border under the leadership of President Biden.” (“Pelosi Blames Trump For Border Crisis, Says US Is Now In A ‘Good Path’ Under Biden’s Leadership,” The Floridian, 4/07/2021)

Nearly 19,000 Unaccompanied Children Crossed The Mexican Border In March, ‘The Largest Monthly Number Ever Recorded’

“The U.S. government picked up nearly 19,000 children traveling alone across the Mexican border in March, authorities said Thursday, the largest monthly number ever recorded and a major test for President Joe Biden as he reverses many of his predecessor’s hardline immigration tactics.” (“Number Of Kids Alone At Border Hits All-Time High In March,” The Associated Press, 4/08/2021)

• “The Border Patrol encountered 18,663 unaccompanied children in March, well above previous highs of 11,475 in May 2019 and 10,620 in June 2014. The agency started publishing the numbers in 2009. Before then, adults made up the vast majority of those crossing the border. March’s count was roughly double those encountered by the Border Patrol in February and more than five times the number in March 2020.” (“Number Of Kids Alone At Border Hits All-Time High In March,” The Associated Press, 4/08/2021)

The 172,321 Illegal Immigrants Taken Into Custody In March Was An Increase ‘So Large That It Did Not Fit On The Y-Axis Of The CBP Chart That Tracks Changes In Monthly Enforcement Data’

“During the busiest month along the Mexico border in nearly two decades, U.S. authorities took 172,331 migrants into custody in March, according to enforcement statistics released Thursday that provide a stark measure of the challenges facing the Biden administration. The total included 18,890 teens and children who arrived without parents, a record quantity that overwhelmed U.S. shelter capacity and produced crisis-level crowding inside government border tents. The March statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection show the fastest-growing group were members of family units: 52,904 were taken into custody in March, up from 19,246 in February.” (“Border Agents Took 172,331 Into Custody In March, Statistics Show,” The Washington Post, 4/08/2021)

• “The increase last month was so large that it did not fit on the y-axis of the CBP chart that tracks changes in monthly enforcement data.” (“Border Agents Took 172,331 Into Custody In March, Statistics Show,” The Washington Post, 4/08/2021)

(“Southwest Land Border Encounters,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection Website, Accessed 4/08/2021)

CNN Headline: “Nearly twice as many unaccompanied migrant children apprehended daily at US-Mexico border as at 2019 peak.” (“Nearly Twice As Many Unaccompanied Migrant Children Apprehended Daily At US-Mexico Border As At 2019 Peak,” CNN, 3/23/2021)

• “US border officials are detaining on average more than 600 unaccompanied migrant children who cross the US-Mexico border each day, a Department of Homeland Security official familiar with the data told CNN. The daily average as of [March 23^rd] is up from around 500 earlier this month, and far surpasses the height of the 2019 surge of migrant families, when Border Patrol apprehended around 370 unaccompanied children a day on average, according to agency data.” (“Nearly Twice As Many Unaccompanied Migrant Children Apprehended Daily At US-Mexico Border As At 2019 Peak,” CNN, 3/23/2021)

Nearly 1,000 People Per Day Are Sneaking Across The Border Without Being Identified Or Taken Into Custody

“Nearly 1,000 people per day are sneaking into the United States without being identified or taken into custody because U.S. border agents are busy attending to migrant families and unaccompanied children while also trying to stop soaring numbers of male adults, according to three U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials familiar with the data.” (“Border Officials Say More People Are Sneaking Past Them As Crossings Soar And Agents Are Overwhelmed,” The Washington Post, 4/02/2021)

It’s Undeniable That These Kinds Of Policies And Messages Are Only Encouraging More People To Come

SEN. MARSHA BLACKBURN (R-TN): “[In February] alone, more than 100,000 migrants crossed our southern border. Our ports of entry are overrun; holding facilities are packed; and, yes, our Border Patrol agents are absolutely exhausted. They are exhausted. This isn't just a logistical challenge; it is a tragedy made worse by the Biden administration's disastrous open borders policies. The crisis is escalating, especially for the tens of thousands of children who have arrived in this country very much alone.” (Sen. Blackburn, Congressional Record, S.1736, 3/24/2021)

SEN. CAPITO: “[The Southern border] is just overrun with children…. I am very concerned about the situation because the numbers are just continuing to grow. And there is no impedance for these children to be coming in. Obviously the word is out…. The word is out in the northern triangle countries that you’re going to be able to get in and stay and sent into the interior of our country if you make it to the border…. I just think that [Homeland Security] Secretary [Mayorkas]—we had a great trip with him and with all due respect, I didn’t see any operational plans set forth to us that tell us how he’s going to handle this situation …” (Sen. Capito, Press Release, 3/21/2021)

‘One Clear Message Has Resonated With Migrants’: ‘The Messages From Friends, Neighbors And Family Saying Now Is The Time To Come’

“In the meantime, one clear message has resonated with migrants. The week after Rice’s border visit, [Rep. Henry] Cuellar [D-TX] visited a detention facility for migrant children in Carrizo Springs, Tex. Cuellar said he asked 16- and 17-year-olds whether they had heard Biden when he said not to come to the United States. The teenagers looked at each other and said no, he recalled. Okay, Cuellar pressed, what about the messages from friends, neighbors and family saying now is the time to come — were they hearing those? ‘They all raised their hands and said yes,’ Cuellar recalled. ‘They said, “We see this on TV. We see images of people coming across. . . . We see people coming across, so we’re going to do the same thing.”’ ‘This,’ the migrants told him, ‘is our opportunity to do this.’” (“‘No End In Sight’: Inside The Biden Administration’s Failure To Contain The Border Surge,” The Washington Post, 3/20/2021)

FLASHBACK: Biden During The Primary Campaign: ‘I Would In Fact Make Sure… We Immediately Surge To The Border All Those People Are Seeking Asylum,’ ‘You Should Come,’ ‘Come To The United States’

JOE BIDEN: “What I would do as president is several more things because things have changed. I would in fact, make sure that there is we immediately surge to the border all those people are seeking asylum. They deserve to be heard. That’s who we are. We are a nation that says if you want to flee and you’re fleeing oppression you should come.” (ABC News Democratic Presidential Debate, 9/12/2019)

JOE BIDEN: “All of the bad things are coming through ports of entry right now. We don’t need a wall and by the way I would immediately as president surge to the border. I would end this notion for the first time in history the people seeking asylum have to be in squalor on the other side of the river and--and desperate situation. They should be-- be-- come to the United States and have a judgment made as to whether or not they qualify. I would also surge to the border immigration judges to make--make decisions immediately and no one, no one would be put in jail while waiting for their hearing.” (CNN and Univision Democratic Presidential Debate, 3/15/2020)

‘And Those Who Come Seeking Asylum, We Should Immediately Have The Capacity To Absorb Them’

JOE BIDEN: “But the fact is that, look, we should not be locking people up. We should be making sure we change the circumstance, as we did, why they would leave in the first place. And those who come seeking asylum, we should immediately have the capacity to absorb them, keep them safe until they can be heard.” (NBC News Democratic Presidential Debate, 6/27/2019)