Where Is The Money Coming From?
The Federal government is facing another potential budget crisis because of the all the political maneuverings that have been made by both parties. The Democrats, for their part, are very skilled at using the media in order to promote what they call bipartisanship. Their version of bipartisanship to talk about “working together”, while behind the scenes they block any of the opposition’s agenda items from ever being considered. It’s their way or no way. Now the Republicans are fractured by ideology. The party has factions, that while conservative, all have strong beliefs as to what degree of conservative values should be included in any of the party’s legislative offerings, such as the budget. These factions are so mired in their convictions that they would rather go to war with their own party members, rather than bend on any of their beliefs. So in the middle of this dysfunction, there exists a situation, namely how to fund the care for all the illegal immigrants, that threatens to blow up any fiscal policy that might come from either of these parties. Namely, “where is the money coming from”?
If someone tries to find any one source of the funding being used to house, feed, provide healthcare and educated the children of all these illegals, they will quickly realize that they have entered a corn maze so difficult to navigate that it’s almost impossible to see any way forward towards their goal. Let’s look at the maze of departments that are using taxpayer’s money on illegals.
The first department is Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Within DHS, several agencies are involved in the processing and care of illegal immigrants, especially when they are first detained at the border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are the primary agencies that deal with immigrants when they first cross the border. They provide temporary housing and basic necessities while individuals are in their custody. It’s interesting that the very agency that is responsible with securing our borders and stopping any illegal access to the United States is actually the first agency providing aid to non-citizens.
Next department is the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This department is responsible for maintaining our health services and welfare system is using it’s funding on illegals. Specifically, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which is part of HHS, provides assistance to unaccompanied minors who enter the country without lawful immigration status. ORR is responsible for their care, including housing, health care, and food, until they can be safely placed with family members or sponsors within the United States while their immigration cases are processed. For the fiscal year 2022, the estimated budget availability for the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) was slightly more than $1 billion dollars. Keep in mind that this money is not spent on US citizens.
The next federal department that funds illegals is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA provides assistance in response to emergency situations involving large groups of illegal migrants. This support is usually temporary and aimed at addressing immediate needs. For fiscal year 2022, FEMA’s budget included funds that could be used for services related to migrants. The appropriations bill for FY 2022 included: $785 million for FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), which was an increase from $150 million in the previous fiscal year. This program provides funding for nonprofit organizations and government social service organizations that offer shelter, transportation, food, and other forms of aid.
- An additional $150 million specifically for “providing shelter and other services to families and individuals encountered by” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under the EFSP-H category.
Furthermore, over $332 million from FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program was reported to be allocated “to assist communities receiving non-citizens released from custody,” which is understood to mean it was used for housing migrants.These funds were intended to support community services that may indirectly benefit migrants, as part of the broader aim to assist individuals and families in need of emergency assistance. These agencies receive funding from the federal budget, which is allocated by Congress through the appropriations process. It’s important to recognize that while federal funds may be used in these contexts, there are strict eligibility criteria for long-term federal benefit programs, which undocumented immigrants typically do not meet.
Additionally, there are non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and charities that also provide food, housing, and other forms of assistance to undocumented immigrants. These organizations usually operate with a combination of private donations, grants, and sometimes state or local government funds.
So, it quickly becomes apparent that understanding the full scope of the federal funding for illegals is very complicated. But there is another source of funding, cities & states. Cities like New York and Chicago have various sources of funding for services that might indirectly benefit undocumented immigrants, though these services are typically aimed at residents in general, regardless of immigration status. Here are some of the ways such funding is sourced:
- City Budgets: A significant portion of funding comes from the cities’ own budgets, which consist of revenue from local taxes such as property taxes, sales taxes, and income taxes.
- State Funds: Cities may receive funding from their respective state governments for certain services, which can include emergency services, healthcare, and education.
- Federal Grants: While federal funds are typically not used directly to support undocumented immigrants, cities may receive federal grants for community services and programs that are available to all residents.
- Private Donations and Nonprofits: Many services for undocumented immigrants are provided by nonprofit organizations, which operate through private donations, grants, and other fundraising activities.
- Public-Private Partnerships: Some programs may be funded through collaborations between the city government and private entities or philanthropic organizations.
- Dedicated Funds for Immigrant Services: Some cities may allocate specific funds within their budget to provide legal aid, healthcare, and other support services to immigrant communities.
It is important to understand that while cities may provide services that can be accessed by all residents, including undocumented immigrants, there are strict federal laws governing the use of federal funds for direct assistance to individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States. These laws mean that while some municipal services are universal (like emergency medical care and K-12 public education), undocumented immigrants are generally ineligible for federal public benefit programs.
As one can see, the caring for illegals is a very costly endeavor and it is a very complicated system that draws money from programs that are for the most part aimed at helping citizens. And in the coming few week, the budget fight on Capitol Hill will be fought. Each political party will spin their own narrative as to why they are requesting the amounts of money they are. But the most important part about all of this is that even with a budget, the Federal will end up borrowing money, in the form of debt, because the federal government routinely spends more than it collects. Somewhere down the road, all this debt will require deep cuts and will impact the quality of life American citizens will have. It’s one thing to spend to care on caring for our own citizens, it’s a whole other story when we are using our limited resources to care of non-citizens.