While the left goes about its little “Hands Off!” temper-tantrum, their leaders have forced Americans to pick up the tab in government benefits for “paroled” illegal immigrants convicted of crimes — even suspected terrorists.
The Biden administration paid out at least $1.3 million in Medicaid, student loans, tax refunds, and other federal government benefits and payments to thousands of paroled aliens with criminal or terrorist records, according to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“Under the Biden administration, it was routine for [U.S.] Border Patrol to admit aliens into the United States with no legal status and minimal screening,” the government fat trimmer said Friday in an X post.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has identified a subset of 6,300 individuals paroled into the U.S. since 2023 who were included on the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center watchlist or who have criminal records, DOGE reported.
“These paroles have since been terminated with immediate effect,” the agency added.
All of the Biden administration parolees cut off had a Social Security number, according to DOGE.
The recipients included:
› 905 individuals (including 4 on the terrorist watch list) collecting $276,000 in Medicaid benefits.
› 409 who received net tax refunds for (2024 only) for a total of $751,000.
› 22 picked up a total of $280,000 in federal student loans
› 41 collected Unemployment Insurance, a combined $42,000 in benefits.
› Several (final number to be determined) received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamp) benefits.
In total, taxpayers covered nearly $1,350,000 in government payments.
‘The Message is Clear’
“It is clear that the Biden-Harris administration has intentionally used unlawful mass-parole schemes to shift hundreds of thousands of inadmissible aliens to ports of entry for release into the interior, often with little or no vetting,” a House Homeland Security Committee report released in October asserts.
The report found Customs and Border Patrol recorded more than 10.8 million encounters with illegal immigrants over the run of the Biden presidency, 8.72 million of those at the Southwest border. Illegal crossings are down sharply in the opening months of the Trump administration, which has moved expeditiously to secure the border.
In March, the Border Patrol recorded around 7,180 Southwest border crossings. That compares to a monthly average of 155,000 crossings from the previous four years, according to the latest CBP data.
“The message is clear: the border is closed to illegal crossings, and for those still willing to test our resolve, know this — you will be prosecuted, and you will be deported,” Acting CBP Commissioner Pete Flores said in a press release.
The Center for Immigration Studies estimates 59.4 percent of illegal immigrant households receive welfare program benefits. That’s thanks in large part to the fact that more than half of illegal immigrant households include at least one child born in the United States who open up government benefits to the household.
“Compared to the U.S.-born, illegal-headed households use every program at statistically higher rates, except for SSI, TANF, and housing. Illegal immigrants have especially high use of cash (mainly the EITC), food programs, and Medicaid,” Steven Camarota, research director for the center, said in testimony during a House subcommittee hearing in September. Camarota’s prepared remarks were titled, “The Consequences of Illegal Immigration for Housing, Affordability, Government Budgets, and American Workers.
In February, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at eliminating federal taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal immigrants. The order directs departments and agencies “to identify all federally funded programs currently providing financial benefits to illegal aliens and take corrective action.” It also prohibits federal funds to states and local governments from being used to subsidize “sanctuary” policies that foster illegal immigration.
“Under current welfare laws, specifically the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), illegal aliens are generally barred from welfare programs. But if they’re granted parole, they are classified as ‘qualified aliens’ and become eligible for various welfare programs on a sliding scale, with full eligibility granted within five years,” the executive order states.
“President Trump is committed to safeguarding Federal public benefits for American citizens who are truly in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans.”
Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An award-winning investigative reporter and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.
