A bill in DC could send billions of dollars to the border. Passed by the Senate and now the House with support from all of Mississippi’s Congressmen and Senators, the appropriations bill would allocate approximately $4.6 billion in additional funding for border enforcement and the care of undocumented immigrants, including unaccompanied children, while their cases are being processed.
READ MORE: Wicker, Hyde-Smith vote for border funding bill
The bill passed the House yesterday by a vote of 305-102 and while progressive Democrats were not pleased with the bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the children must come first and asked her caucus to vote for the bill which will now go to the White House where President Trump is likely to sign it.
“It is about time that House Democrats come down from their high horse to do what’s right by the American people,” said Congressman Steven Palazzo. “For too long they chose to play political games with our border crisis. I’ve been to the border, I’ve seen the crisis firsthand, and it’s downright shameful that members on the left took this long to do their jobs. I am glad to know that our border patrol agents and others on the front line will finally get the resources they need to support their mission.”
Congressman Michael Guest reacted to the passage of the bill saying there is still a long way to go to complete address the situation, but it is a start.
“I’m pleased that we were able to reach this bi-partisan achievement. I hope we can continue this spirit of compromise and reach an agreement that seals unsecured areas of our border to help prevent the flow of illegal drugs into the country,” said Guest.
Republican Congressman Trent Kelly and Democrat Congressman Bennie Thompson, who also serves as the Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee voted in favor of the bill along with Palazzo and Guest.
Details of the bill:
-2.8 billion will be designated for Health and Human Services(HHS) to provide shelter and care for migrant children in HHS custody
-$1.1 billion will be used for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to provide transportation costs and medical care and food as well as compensation for employees working overtime
-$209 million included for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to fund transportation costs and medical care for detainees as well as human trafficking combat operations. This funding also includes overtime compensation for ICE officers.
-$220 million is included for the Department of Justice to help process immigration cases as well as funding for the US Marshals Service to care for federal detainees.
-$145 million for military branches who have deployed to the southern border
