Fact check: Are taxpayers paying $392 per day to house illegal immigrant families under Joe Biden's new plan?
A new article calls taxpayers "co-conspirators to one of the largest smuggling schemes in history". The article in Centre for Immigration Studies by Andrew Arthur was in response to the sum handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to help control the surge of migrants at the border. The six-month deal has already been already slammed by Republicans when it became public, and the report adds more fuel to that fire.
The article questions the high cost, arguing that hotels are much cheaper than the "$392.69 per person per night" cost. It isn't fake news, the math breaks down to that amount. The issue though, is that the report is misleading in several places. The claims the author makes are problematic, since they do not take into account the full picture of the border crisis.
RELATED ARTICLES
Here's a look at the full story, and why the article is misleading, with its intention seeming not to inform or educate, but to go viral. But before we dive into that, here's a bit of background on why the government awarded that $86 million contract.
Government needs help with migrants
When migrants cross the border with families or children, they are detained by ICE and CBP (Customs & Border Protection) and referred to as family units or FMUs. These FMUs are mostly detained at Family Residential Centres (FRCs) - large camps built by the government where migrants stay while they are being processed. A 2018 report states that there are 3 such FRCs in the US - one in Dilley, Texas, another in Leesport, Pennsylvania, and the third at Karnes City, Texas. In 2019, another facility in Northeast El Paso was built.
While these centers are large, they are currently far too small to keep up with the surge in migrants coming across the border. More worryingly, these FRCs were never meant to house migrants long term. Immigrant families and children are supposed to be taken to rapid processing centers, that release migrants within 72 hours.
They serve merely as a starting point, with migrants released with a court date. However, with the Covid-19 pandemic, change in administration and policies and the sheer number of migrants coming, most families are held for far longer than that. To add to the woes, Mexico has also started refusing some migrants who are expelled from the US and come from other nations like Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
Since ICE is running out of space, they've turned to the government for help. In response, the Biden administration awarded a $86 million contract to Endeavors, a Texas-based non-profit. The contract would see Endeavors house these families in hotels in and around Texas and Arizona. That's what the Centre for Immigration Studies article takes an issue with.
Article claims taxpayers paying $392
Andrew Arthur's article makes several claims. They aren't completely false but don't take into account the whole picture. Let's break down some of the biggest claims.
#1: You are now a co-conspirator to one of the largest smuggling schemes in history
This claim, made in the opening paragraph is a pretty bold one. First of all, no one is a 'co-conspirator'. The use of the phrase implies something illegal and wrong. Housing migrants in hotels isn't illegal, nor is it explicitly wrong. Is it necessary? That can be debated, depending on your views on the subject but there is no law, executive order, bill, or rule that states migrants cannot be housed in private hotels. The second part is also controversial at best. Smuggling immigrants into the US is a big problem, and a viable business for many gangs in Central America, but it is not a 'scheme' by the government. The government, under no administration, has supported illegal immigration. There's a reason there is a process in place at the border - it is to help those in genuine need of help. It is not a scheme, it is a duty that America has pledged to fulfill under previous administrations including the Trump administration.
#2: Speedy release is "the major ‘pull factor'" for migrants
The article claims that most migrants are encouraged to cross the border because of the 72-hour limit set by ICE. This is not a claim made solely by the author, but a conclusion made by the Homeland Security Advisory Council in 2019. That is a bipartisan federal panel, so it's not a claim that is made lightly. As such, there is some truth to this, but families are not the only migrants apprehended. A 2018 report by FactCheck found that only 27% of those apprehended at the border in 2017 were FMUs. In reality, a vast majority of those apprehended are single adults, for whom the laws are far stricter. People choose to migrate to the US in search of safety and a better life, not the promise of being released within 72 hours.
#3: Biden administration is picking up the smuggling conspiracy
The article does right to point out that "the border is not the destination for those migrants — the interior of the United States is". Many of those crossing have families already in the US, and are attempting to find their way to them. People often pay smugglers thousands of dollars to be taken into the US. However, in no way is the Biden administration (or any administration) 'picking up' or contributing to the conspiracy. Under multiple charters, agreements, and laws, the US is required to provide aid to any and all migrants. The 2018 Global Compact for Migration states "refugees and migrants are entitled to the same universal human rights and fundamental freedoms, which must be respected, protected and fulfilled at all times." It's not a conspiracy, but something the US signed up to do and has an obligation towards.
#4: The government is not going to prosecute violators
Arthur writes, "It’s the government that would prosecute violators (which they are plainly not going to do)." That is just plain wrong; the US government under all administrations has prosecuted and even deported those that cross the border illegally, or help those that do. It's not just a matter of prosecuting all those that come illegally as well. There are protections in place, that give illegal migrants a path to residency and even citizenship. It's also not easy to round up everyone as well, the slow bureaucratic process means that it can be years before an immigrant gets a court date. The Biden administration has also never stated it won't prosecute those coming in illegally, no government has. Most illegal immigrants are prosecuted for other crimes when they chose to come out of hiding and interact with law enforcement. At that time, if they are found to be illegally residing, they are usually deported. Pew found that 337,000 immigrants were deported in 2018. Some are also deported even though they haven't committed a crime.
#5: The math on the stats
The article claims that the program costs taxpayers $392.69 per person per night. It then goes on to compare other hotels in the area, saying "if the administration extends its FMU hotel program, they should reach out to me. I might be able to get them a better rate." Here's the issue, the math isn't exactly accurate. Yes, the $86 million does break down to about $392 per person per night, but comparing that figure to the cost of other hotels is misleading. Sure, you can get hotel rooms for as low as $100 dollars, but that's not the only thing the program pays for. The program doesn't just cover room costs, but also COVID-19 tests, educational resources, and mental health care amongst other things. That's just what immigrants get, it doesn't even take into account the cost of salaries for ICE employees, the costs of processing their requests, the costs of doing the paperwork, and the hundreds of other things that need to be done. Those costs need to be taken into account as well. When you add all that up, $392 is actually a bit of a bargain. The real costs are very likely to be much more, offset through other ways.
Immigration is always going to be a complex and controversial issue. There's no right or wrong side to it, but making false or incomplete claims isn't helping anyone. Words have power, and it is important that we know just how much. Also, building a wall or closing off the border won't help stem illegal migrants, they can and will find other avenues.