DES MOINES, IOWA (September 19, 2023) — Governor Kim Reynolds has joined 24 Republican governors in a letter to President Joe Biden demanding information on where illegal immigrants are being relocated and explaining the burden his open border policies are putting on states.
The letter states in part:
“The crisis at the southern border extends to every state. As a result of your policies which incentivize illegal immigration, our states are carrying the burden of both the years-long surge in illegal border crossings and cartels’ coordinated trafficking of drugs and human beings. States are on the front lines, working around-the-clock responding to the effects of this crisis: Shelters are full, food pantries empty, law enforcement strained, and aid workers exhausted. As governors, we call on you to provide honest, accurate, detailed information on where the migrants admitted at the southern border are being relocated in the United States, in addition to comprehensive data on asylum-claim timelines and qualification rates, and successful deportations. We ask for this information immediately, but also regularly as the crisis at the southern border continues.
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“Though we remain committed to addressing these issues, States cannot afford to respond to a challenge of such magnitude while the federal government continues to turn a blind eye. Analysts estimate the annual net cost of illegal immigration for the United States at the federal, state, and local levels is at least $150.7 billion. States are forced to provide financial, educational, and medical support to migrants entering our country illegally — support that is skyrocketing in cost due to record inflation and the unprecedented influx of migrants into our states. The financial impact on the states is staggering, and it is our hardworking citizens who shoulder that burden.”
You can read the full letter here.
