Biden Wants “Border Security” Money: FAIR Exposes the Truth about His Plans

In the aftermath of Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel in October, President Biden sent an “urgent budget request” to Congress seeking additional aid for Israel and Ukraine. Included in that request was $13.6 billion that the President said would be used to secure America’s own borders, particularly as Hamas and their paymasters in Tehran issued threats against the United States and other Western nations.

FAIR quickly drilled down into the particulars of the request, and now we have exposed the fact that most of that additional money would just be used to fund his “rapid processing and release” program that has attracted millions to the borders and wreaked havoc on American cities nationwide. FAIR’s analysis, which received widespread attention in Congress, found as follows.

With only a few exceptions, the request would direct more money to agencies that process and release illegal aliens. Rather than combat illegal immigration, the funds are intended to speed up the process of delivering immigration benefits (such as work authorization), and to use taxpayer dollars to support sanctuary cities that aid and abet illegal immigration. The request also seeks to give the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) money to provide shelter and services to illegal aliens who are released into the U.S.

Of the $13.6 billion requested, nearly $5 billion was designated for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) – not to install physical barriers or stop the flow – but rather to help process and transport illegal aliens along the southern border. Most of the funding would be funneled to nonprofit organizations that provide shelter and services to illegal aliens.

It didn’t stop there. The president requested $2.54 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hire criminal investigators, attorneys and support staff. The request noted that some of the $2.54 billion (though the amount is not specified) is designed to support “immigration enforcement, detention, transportation, and removal.” The request is laughable given that since day one, the Biden administration has directed ICE to release illegal aliens and refuses to allow officers to apprehend or detain them. In effect, no one goes home.

The budget request also asks for $755 million for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an agency that has historically been funded by those seeking immigration benefits. This funding was sought for the purpose of hiring more staff to process asylum applications and other immigration benefits (such as parole). It would also go to processing work permits faster for the millions of illegal aliens who have crossed into the U.S.

The only meaningful part of President Biden’s budget request was $1.42 billion designated for the immigration courts, and more specifically to hire 375 additional immigration judges and related staff. The irony, of course, is that the courts would not be overwhelmed, and their backlog would not be measured by years if the Biden administration hadn’t thrown open the borders and swamped our immigration institutions with its policies. Even if given funds for the courts, the Biden policies to delay cases, administrative close or dismiss cases would continue, diminishing the integrity of the system.

When President Obama was in office, we often heard the claim, “Never let a serious crisis go to waste.” Clearly, President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas took this maxim to heart, attempting to leverage two serious international crises to further policies that accelerate the national security threats along our borders. FAIR is working to reprogram this money to serve a proper purpose: legitimate immigration and border enforcement.