Biden Requesting Billions For New Migrant Housing Program
The Biden administration is pleading with Congress to save it from itself as it looks for temporary housing for the millions of illegal migrants crossing the southern border annually. In the process, Axios reported the White House needs billions of taxpayer dollars.
The housing funds are contained in the $40 billion emergency request to Congress from the Oval Office. It included almost $2.7 billion for DHS programs.
Meanwhile, the border is under yet another migrant surge spawned by the administration’s lax policies. The most recent Customs and Border Protection numbers reveal over 130,000 arrests last month.
That figure skyrocketed from 99,945 in June.
The Daily Mail reported that the migrant numbers in Arizona were so overwhelming that border crossers were being held in cages in 110+ degree heat. The outlet cited condemnation from migrant advocacy groups, but officials responded that they had no choice.
Similar activities by officials under the Trump administration, of course, drew widespread outrage from leftist political leaders and their mainstream media partners.
The Biden White House wants the billions to establish new facilities to house migrant families. A DHS official told Axios that the residents would have freedom of movement during the day but would be required to check in and remain in the buildings at night.
An unidentified DHS official told the outlet that the agency does not perceive the proposed facility as “family detention.”
The DHS, which is charged with carrying out the president’s agenda of allowing as many migrants as possible to enter and remain in the U.S., said the new construction would ease the burden on border communities. These areas are overwhelmed with new arrivals across the open border.
The agency is also requesting that Congress allow for-profit contractors or organizations not affiliated with the government to run the centers.
The courts already issued specific requirements for dealing with migrant families with children. It is currently required that these families be released within 21 days, though it is uncertain whether that protocol would apply to the new facilities.
The Biden administration already ended detentions for migrant families in 2021, and some critics charge the White House is considering a return to that program.
