The Biden administration and Congress did nothing to boost funding for two key border security agencies in the last fiscal year, leaving them each at the same level as last year even as they coped with a record surge in illegal immigrants.
Final spending data released by the Treasury Department shows that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which enforces immigration laws at the border and runs the U.S. Border Patrol, received no new funding to deal with the problem, which included a record number of migrant encounters over the course of the year.
In fiscal year 2022, which ended Sept. 30, CBP spent $17.8 billion, almost exactly the same as it spent in FY21.
NATIONAL SHERIFFS’ GROUP SOUNDS ALARM OVER SPIKE IN MIGRANT DEATHS AT SOUTHERN BORDER
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
The smaller U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which operates on the border but also enforces immigration laws in the interior of the U.S., spent about 8% more – $8.9 billion compared to the $8.2 billion in FY21. That amounts to a combined 2% increase for the two agencies.
Supporters of a tougher stance on illegal immigration said the lack of any push for new funding is just more proof the Biden administration is uninterested in fixing the problem at the southern border. The wave of illegal immigration led to the death of 856 migrants at or near the border last year, and Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the Biden administration needs to address this head-on.
“This administration has even gone on to brazenly claim that the border is ‘secure’ and the border is ‘closed,’ despite astounding evidence to prove otherwise,” Katko told Fox News Digital. “It should come as no surprise that this administration has not prioritized providing the right resources and policies for CBP to effectively do their jobs.”
“As the president and his administration…
Source : foxnews
