A U.S. federal government agency spent $20 billion in 2022 and 2023 on refugee resettlement as the number of migrants entering the country reached record levels.
The nonprofit OpenTheBooks released a report that found the U.S. agency Office of Refugee Resettlement spent the money as the number of migrant encounters at the border reached 2.5 million in 2023.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement spent $8.9 billion in fiscal year 2022 and $10.9 billion in fiscal year 2023, according to OpenTheBooks’ report.
OpenTheBooks reported that the major portion of spending was on grants that went to nonprofit agencies that provide services such as helping migrants save for larger purchases, such as a house or car.
“Potential migrants from an ever-broader range of countries are trying to enter the country by any means necessary. From Afghanistan to Ukraine to the infamous swell of Haitians huddled under a Texas bridge, the news traveling back home is: come to America,” said OpenTheBooks CEO Adam Andrzejewski, in a statement. “Entry is easy and the benefits are aplenty once you’ve arrived. The grantmaking in particular is a powerful magnet for more people to keep flooding our borders; who would turn down not just a free lunch but a leg up on a new life?”
OpenTheBooks stated it reviewed the spending of just one federal office to get an idea of how much was being spent on migrants. The nonprofit chose to review The Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is a part of Health and Human Services. The Office of Refugee Resettlement is “a major vehicle for migrant-related spending,” according to OpenTheBooks.
