Senator Collins Joins Effort to Block Taxpayer Funded Payments to Immigrants Who Crossed Border Illegally

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins joined a group of her colleagues in introducing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 to block the Biden Administration’s reported plan to spend upwards of a billion dollars to provide $450,000 per person in taxpayer money to certain migrants who broke U.S. immigration laws. 

“We need to treat people at the border humanely, and I oppose separating children from their families.  Our southern border is in crisis, however, as our overwhelmed border patrol agents try to stem the tide of illegal crossings, which are at the highest level on record.  Meanwhile, skyrocketing inflation is imposing a hidden tax on Americans’ savings,” said Senator Collins.  “Giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to individuals who violated our immigration laws would be an insult to hardworking Americans and create perverse incentives that encourage immigrants to make the dangerous journey north.”

The legislation was led by Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) and co-sponsored by Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Tom Cotton (R-AR), John Kennedy (R-LA), Mike Lee (R-UT), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Mike Braun (R-IN), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Hoeven (R-ND), Todd Young (R-IN), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Boozman (R-AR), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Richard Burr (R-NC), James Lankford (R-OK), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Jim Risch (R-ID) and Mike Crapo (R-ID).

For amendment text, click HERE.

The measure was also introduced as a standalone bill.  For bill text, click HERE.

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