Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that illegal alien family members separated at the border during the Trump years could receive up to $450,000 per family member as part of a settlement being negotiated between the government and groups representing the illegals.
Biden was asked about the $450,000 payment plan for illegals at a press conference. A Fox News reporter asked him if paying illegal aliens that much wouldn’t incentivize more illegals to try and enter the U.S.
“If you guys keep sending that garbage out, yeah,” Biden said. “But it’s not true.”
Biden appeared surprised by the $450,000 figure.
“$450,000 per person? Is that what you’re saying?” the president said. “That’s not going to happen.”
The family separation policy was of dubious legality to begin with and was carried out largely to discourage illegal alien families from trying to come to America. It didn’t work very well and caused a political headache for the Trump administration.
But paying each illegal alien half a million dollars for being separated at the border would have set off a congressional firestorm — something Biden obviously doesn’t need at this time.
Politico:
About 5,500 children were separated at the border during the Trump administration, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, citing figures provided by the government. The number of families eligible for the money will likely be smaller, according to the Wall Street Journal report, and around 940 claims have been filed so far.
Biden’s comments on Wednesday drew ire from immigration advocates like ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero, who said Biden might have not been up to speed on the Justice Department’s actions as it “carefully deliberated and considered the crimes committed against thousands of families separated from their children as an intentional governmental policy.”
According to CNN, about 300 illegal alien children are still separated from their parents because the U.S. government has been unable to find them. The Justice Department says that 34 children have been reunited with their parents since August.
But no one is sure just how many illegals would be eligible for any payout at all.
“But if he follows through on what he said, the president is abandoning a core campaign promise to do justice for the thousands of separated families,” Romero said. “We respectfully remind President Biden that he called these actions ‘criminal’ in a debate with then-President Trump, and campaigned on remedying and rectifying the lawlessness of the Trump administration. We call on President Biden to right the wrongs of this national tragedy.”
Joe Biden calling an action by Donald Trump “criminal” in the midst of a presidential campaign is hardly a reason to give about a billion dollars to illegals who had no legal reason to be in the United States in the first place.
You can be sure that any level of payments to the illegals — and their lawyers who stand to make a bundle off this scam — will be strongly resisted in Congress. And probably by both parties.
Source: PJ Media
