In a letter sent to a congressional committee, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., demanded that no funding be allocated to a federal program that provides shelter, transportation, food, and other services to migrants.
Citing the ongoing migration crisis and concerns about illegal immigrants being transported with federal funds, the fifth-term lawmaker said the Shelter and Services Program (SSP) “should receive no funds until abuse in the program has ended.”
A part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the SSP issues grants to non-governmental organizations (NGOs), state governments, local governments, and Indian tribes. In turn, those entities provide services to “noncitizen migrants” who have been released from DHS custody. Shelter, transportation, food, medical care, personal hygiene, clothing, and translation services are among those provided by the SSP.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) assist in administering the SSP. In Fiscal Year 2024, the SSP received over $640 million in taxpayer money to provide services to “noncitizen migrants.”
In his letter to the U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee, Congressman Emmer demanded that the committee “provide no funds for the SSP.”
“The Biden Administration has exacerbated the crisis at the southern border to unprecedented levels,” writes Emmer. “Under the Biden Administration, there have been over 7.6 million encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border. This influx has caused communities along the southern border to be overwhelmed with additional individuals that their infrastructure, hospitals, and other public resources cannot support.”
In opposing funding for the migrant services, Emmer says federal reports indicate that NGOs are not spending taxpayer dollars in accordance with federal requirements. According to Emmer, “the Office of the Inspector General at DHS found that FEMA did not provide sufficient oversight over the recipients of the funds and found that recipients of the humanitarian aid did not use the funds consistent with guidance and many did not have proper documentation.”
“Clearly, there is cause for concern with FEMA’s management of taxpayer resources,” he writes.
Last year, an Al-Shabaab terrorist illegally crossed the southern border before eventually being apprehended in Minnesota earlier this year. To date, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has not responded to an Emmer inquiry which asked if federal funds were used to transport the Al-Shabaab terrorist to Minnesota.
“Given that nonfederal entities may not be using funds distributed through SSP appropriately, they should not receive funding until SSP’s requirements align with government intent,” writes Emmer.
The Minnesota congressman elaborated on his concerns in a statement to Alpha News.
“President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have repeatedly ignored our inquiries on how a known terrorist was able to travel from the border, live in the U.S. for nearly a year, and end up in Minnesota,” said Emmer. “If the Biden Administration refuses to hold their own Department of Homeland Security accountable for how American tax dollars are spent, we will.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
