Michigan Republicans Sound Alarm On State Program Potentially Giving Illegal Immigrants Up To $500 Per Month In Rental Assistance
Republicans’ concerns grew when an illegal alien was arrested this week on suspicion of murdering a woman aged 25 in Michigan.
Republican leaders in Michigan have expressed concern about a new program set up by the Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration, which gives out $500 per month to migrants and refugees. Many on the Left now call these people “newcomers”.
The Office of Global Michigan launched the “Michigan Newcomer Rental Subsidy program” last year in partnership with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. According to the program’s official website, it provides assistance for refugees, asylees and victims of human trafficking. It also offers Special Immigration Visas (SIV) and aids Cuban, Haitian, Afghan and Ukrainian Nationals.
Republican state leaders claim that illegal immigrants who are facing deportation proceedings may benefit from this program. Matt Hall, Michigan House Republican leader, and Joe Aragona (state rep. Joe Aragona is the Republican vice-chair of the Housing Subcommittee) wrote to Poppy Sias Hernandez, OGM director, earlier this week requesting further information about the program and the recipients.
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Matt Hall, Michigan House Republican leader and a spokesperson for The Daily Wire, said that Gretchen Whitmer’s rent subsidy programme provides handouts to illegal immigrants who have been caught in the United States but then desperately claimed asylum in order to avoid being deported. The Whitmer administration should be transparent with the taxpayers that are paying for this program. Michiganders should not have their money taken away to reward people who violated our immigration laws.
The Daily Wire reached out to Whitmer’s office to get a comment.
After filing a defensive claim upon entry to the U.S., migrants who have crossed the border illegally can be considered “asylum-seekers”. According to the Justice Department, in fiscal year 2023, alone, more than 474,000 defensive claims have been filed. There are also currently over a million pending claims.
Michigan Republicans are concerned about the rental subsidy programs after an illegal immigrant who was deported from the United States in 2020 re-entered and was arrested this week. He is accused of killing a woman, 25, in Grand Rapids. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed to The Daily Wire in a Tuesday statement that Brandon Ortiz Vite, 25, reentered the U.S. illegally at an unknown date without inspection by immigration officials. He was arrested last Friday after Ruby Garcia’s apparent gunshot wounds were discovered on the side of a Michigan road.
OGM states that to qualify for rental assistance applicants must have a monthly income of at least 60% below the Area Median Income and receive federal aid. They also need to be experiencing “housing instability.” The program offers monthly housing assistance ranging from $300 per person up to $500 per family.
MSHDA requires that those who receive assistance show “all available documentation” of “earned and non-earned income of household members over 18 years of age living in the same home.” Income can be verified even if there is no documentation if the enrollee provides a written reason, such as they were paid in cash.
The Daily Wire reported that House Republican Leader Hall said the program would benefit “those who have broken into our borders.”
Hall stated that “Americans are horrified by the Democrats’ careless response to our border crisis – a humanitarian catastrophe which resulted in an unsolved murder here in Michigan.” “Joe Biden will not secure our border or faithfully implement our laws. Gretchen Whitmer offers taxpayer-funded benefits for those who have broken into our border. Cities and counties that offer sanctuary shield illegal immigrants from immigration officials. These politicians need to stop assisting and abetting the illegal aliens, and take serious measures to secure our border and keep people safe.
