Senator Cotton Introduces No Bailouts for Illegal Aliens Act

By Preston Huennekens | FAIR Take | May 2020

Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) introduced the No Bailouts for Illegal Aliens Act, targeting local and state governments that continue giving stimulus money or other handouts to illegal aliens. States such as California and Oregon doled out millions of dollars to give illegal aliens stimulus checks. Illegal aliens were not eligible for stimulus checks in the CARES Act legislation passed by Congress and signed by President Trump.

Senator Cotton’s bill would prevent states from receiving stimulus funding from the Federal government if they give money to illegal aliens. In remarks to the media Senator Cotton said that “we shouldn’t be spending hard-earned taxpayer dollars on illegal immigrants at a time when 35 million Americans are out of work. If we are going to be giving relief checks to those people who are out of work, we need to focus on American citizens, not illegal immigrants.” In his office’s press release, Senator Cotton further remarked that “Congress passed the CARES Act to help workers impacted by the China virus pandemic, not to give a handout to those who broke our immigration laws. The federal government shouldn’t be subsidizing states’ efforts to send cash to illegal aliens.”

Cotton notes that although his bill would keep significant amounts of funding from pro-illegal alien states like California and Oregon, the bill would not affect the CARES Act’s unemployment provisions or the relief checks offered to American citizens and some legal permanent residents. It would only prevent states from receiving other stimulus-related funding.

This important bill is an additional tool that the government could use to cripple the dangerous sanctuary policies and inclinations of these states. Instead of spending money on hospital funding, buying medical equipment, or increasing their state’s financial solvency through this crisis, some states are giving money to illegal aliens. That is not right, and Senator Cotton’s bill would ensure that American citizens and legal immigrants receive the help they need — not illegal aliens.

This bill has no chance of passing in Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) House of Representatives, but it serves as a strong message to open-borders activists and legislative proponents of dangerous and shortsighted sanctuary policies.