The amount of money the Biden administration spent on settling migrants is mind-boggling.
A New York Post exclusive story found that from 2020 to 2024, Uncle Sam spent a staggering $22 billion on settling migrants, including cash to purchase cars, take out home loans, and even start businesses.
During Biden’s presidency, the number of non-citizens eligible for assistance skyrocketed. Those who received money included migrants, asylum seekers, and other refugees.
Critics say the payday encouraged folks flooding into the U.S. along the southern border — something President Donald Trump has cracked down on during his first month back in office.
The size and scope of the grift are shocking, which is saying a lot about a D.C. boondoggle.
HHS splurged more than $22B on grants for migrants — including cash for cars, home loans and startup businesses https://t.co/a6scAtnoTC pic.twitter.com/Kl53v9dyyR
— New York Post (@nypost) February 13, 2025
Check out the Post’s full report:
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ramped up grants for migrants from 2020 to 2024 — which included cash assistance to buy cars, homes and even build credit for startup businesses, according to a shocking watchdog report that found taxpayers were left on the hook for $22.6 billion.
HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) — which came under fire last year for having lost track of 32,000 migrant kids in the US — handed out the high sum to a host of nonprofits, effectively acting as a “giant magnet” for those crossing the US border and claiming asylum, auditors from the money monitor OpenTheBooks revealed exclusively to The Post.
Tasked with settling migrants, asylum seekers and other refugees in America, ORR drastically increased the number of noncitizens eligible to receive funding over the bulk of President Joe Biden’s term, with more than $10 billion shelled out to grant-receiving organizations just in fiscal year 2023.
That coincided with all-time records being set for southern border crossings into the US, with 2.4 million apprehensions by Customs and Border Protection over the same period.
Non-governmental groups bilked taxpayers for up to $1.7 billion in services including dollar-for-dollar matching savings plans for cars, homes, college educations or startups; small-business loans of up to $15,000; loans to repair credit history of up to $1,500; “cultural orientation,” “emergency housing support,” legal assistance and Medicaid care.
Some programs were only available to migrants or refugees who had been living in the US for several years, who were employed or who were making around double the federal poverty level or less, among other stipulations.
The most funding, however, was spent on unaccompanied migrant children, with $12.4 billion obligated over the five years — even as federal whistleblowers were calling out ORR for placing many of the 291,000 kids in their care with unvetted and at times abusive sponsors.
“The Shining City on a Hill, with its walls and doors, makes room for legal immigrants and legitimate refugees and asylum seekers, but the ORR has made a mockery of that vision in recent years,” OpenTheBooks CEO John Hart told The Post.
“ORR is part of a troubling trend of using nonprofit groups as ideological proxies. Vast sums are being outsourced to evade accountability and prop up an immoral, exploitive system that is hurtful to both American citizens and people in other countries who are longing for a better life.”
Thursday’s report comes after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) came under fire for sending around $80 million — subsequently clawed back by the Trump administration Tuesday — to put migrants up in New York City hotels and provide other services.
More than $2.6 billion went out the door in fiscal year 2020, $2.3 billion in fiscal year 2021, $3.3 billion in fiscal year 2022, $10 billion in fiscal year 2023 and $4.2 billion in fiscal year 2024.
The funding tranches were obligated spending, meaning not all the money has been disbursed so far.
Migrants from Cuba and Haiti, humanitarian parolees from Afghanistan and Ukraine, special immigrant visa holders from Afghanistan and Iraq and unaccompanied minors from abroad were all eligible for grant programs.
The watchdog group pointed out that the windfall came as ORR was expanding access to legal counsel for migrants and eliminating the need for other noncitizens, like refugees, to become economically self-sufficient “as quickly as possible.”
Two of the top groups receiving funds in the last four fiscal years were Church World Services, which opposed a joint agreement between Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau closing an asylum loophole on the northern border, and the International Rescue Committee.