ICE spends millions flying illegal immigrant children across US
Published May 27, 2016 FoxNews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/05/27/ice-spends-millions-flying-illegal-immigrant-children-across-us.htmlThe Obama administration has spent at least $18.5 million to fly “unaccompanied children” caught crossing into the country illegally to parents and relatives inside the United States, according to newly obtained figures.
The numbers, shared with FoxNews.com by the Senate subcommittee on immigration, were provided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in response to questions from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
The numbers shed light on the extent of a program that has drawn scrutiny not just from lawmakers but the federal courts, amid concerns the U.S. government is effectively aiding smugglers.
“This shows how fundamentally flawed our approach to immigration enforcement has been in the Obama administration,” a Senate aide who has seen the questions to and answers from ICE Director Sarah Saldana told FoxNews.com.
The administration, which continues to grapple with waves of Central American migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and has gone to great lengths to ensure the safety of minors, has defended the practice as appropriate.
But it comes with a cost.
The ICE figures show that from June 8, 2014 to Sept. 30, 2015, ICE spent $4.8 million on charter flights for the children (ICE could not provide figures before that period). From March 2009 to Sept. 30, 2015, ICE spent $13.7 million on commercial flights for unaccompanied minors utilizing funds appropriated to ICE.
In total, the cost reaches at least $18.5 million. The children typically are flown from the U.S.-Mexico border to live with relatives, many of whom also are in the U.S. illegally, according to past accounts of the program.
“This admission by ICE demonstrates that the United States is a party to countless conspiracies by illegal aliens to violate our immigration laws, by facilitating their illegal journey into the United States,” the Senate aide said.
Separate questions to ICE posed by Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions’ office have yet to be answered.
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