President Biden dismissed the reports as “garbage.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley wrote Thursday to Attorney General Merrick Garland, calling on the Justice Department to clarify its position on reported plans to pay millions to illegal immigrants separated during the previous administration. Their letter asked, “Are these settlements under consideration or are they not?”
There were reports last week that the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services are considering payments of up to $450,000 per person to those who crossed the border illegally and were separated from family members. This came in response to a lawsuit by civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union.
Payments could amount to close to $1 million per family and $1 billion overall.
Legislators in the House and Senate have introduced measures to block any such payments from happening—payments that would reward illegal behavior and encourage more illegal immigration.
When asked about the payments on Wednesday, President Biden said the reports are “garbage” and that the payments are “not going to happen.” His comments drew a quick response from the ACLU, who said the president “may not have been fully briefed about the actions of his very own Justice Department as it carefully deliberated and considered the crimes committed against thousands of families separated from their children as an intentional government policy.”
In 2021, the median U.S. household income was roughly $68,000. It would take the typical American household roughly 14.7 years to earn $1 million gross.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the Department of Justice officials and others to respond to Congress regarding plans to pay illegal immigrants who were separated from their families at the border.
- For wisdom for government officials considering payments to immigrants which are significantly more than an average American household’s annual income.
Sources: Wall Street Journal, Fox News, Financial Samurai
