Republican Wants to Block Money to Own State Over Migrant 'Freebies'

California Representative Darrell Issa wants to block migrants in his state from receiving money, saying that they are getting "freebies."

While appearing on Fox Business Networks's Mornings with Maria Bartiromo, Issa spoke about requests from California Senator Laphonza Butler for more economic assistance to respond to the influx of migrants in San Diego.

"They are all being released in San Diego. It's a question if they're released in San Diego with tickets and money and massive aid that they can write and call home," Issa said.

"The fact is the senator may not understand, but the only thing we have left in this country with this president is, in fact, making it seem like it's not the land of freebies, and that's the reason, quite frankly, we don't want to help New York, we don't want to help Chicago. They said they were sanctuary cities; my whole state said it was a sanctuary state, let them pay for it."

Issa continued, "Let them recognize that there's a cost to this, cost to this that should be paid not by the federal government, and quite frankly, not by the taxpayers in my state."

The context:

On Tuesday, Butler issued a statement asking the Biden administration for additional funding to respond to migrants in the state through the Shelter and Services Program (SSP).

"This funding will provide migrants with access to essential services, including food and shelter, following the closure of a transitional assistance center in San Diego that was serving up to 1,200 migrants per day," Butler said in a statement.

Butler said in a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that "there is an urgent need for additional SSP funding to ensure that these migrants have access to essential temporary services, including food and shelter.

"While I am optimistic that Congressional leaders will soon pass a full-year appropriations bill, it is imperative that the Administration acts now," Butler added.

Newsweek reached out to Butler's office via email for comment.

What we know:

The Biden administration has continued to face criticism from Republicans over its handling of the United States-Mexico border. In December, the number of illegal migrant encounters at the nation's Southwest land borders surpassed 300,000, data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shows.

On Tuesday, Cal Matters reported that almost 100,000 migrants have arrived in San Diego over the past six months, and data from CBP shows that just over 100,000 migrants crossed into California in December and January.

Local news station KNSD reported this week that hundreds of migrants were recently dropped off at a bus stop in San Diego because a migrant reception center recently ran out of funding and was unable to accept any new individuals.

Views:

Newsweek previously reported that the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a nonpartisan organization, found that illegal migration in California cost residents around $22.82 billion by providing benefits to migrants.

The Public Policy Institute of California conducted a survey that found that a declining number of younger residents call immigrants a benefit to the state. In June 2023, 80 percent of those aged 18-34 said immigration was a benefit to California, but this number has dropped to 67 percent in the recent survey conducted in February 2024.

What's next:

It is unclear if the Department of Homeland Security will provide further funding to San Diego. President Joe Biden recently met with many governors and called on Congress to pass a bipartisan border security deal, which has faced opposition from many House Republicans.

Update 2/28/24, 8:15 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

Update 2/28/24, 8:33 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.