As millions of migrants have flooded across the U.S. southern border in the past few years, the Biden administration has given millions more to secure foreign borders, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation review of federal aid listings. of tax money has been spent.
In recent months, the State Department has spent millions of dollars on programs to strengthen border security in Iraq, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Serbia, Georgia, Angola, Kenya, Algeria, Somalia, Armenia, Paraguay and Jordan, according to federal grant records. did. As the Biden administration spends millions of dollars to secure foreign borders, federal authorities report that large numbers of migrants are entering the United States with enough fentanyl to kill more than 100 million people.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that “this country has left our borders wide open and spent years all over the world to secure other countries’ borders.” It’s insane that we keep sending them.” “This is the kind of thing that is destroying the country, and that’s the main reason why the American people rightly hate what’s going on in Washington,” he continued.
In September 2023, the State Department awarded $4.9 million to Kenya and Somalia to improve their “border security capabilities” by providing training, equipment, guidance, and grant documentation to border officials in African countries. show. The department also paid nearly $1 million to train border guards in Iraq and Jordan. according to To disclosure of grants. (Related: House intruded into pro-Ukrainian chants during foreign aid vote)
In addition to training border patrol agents for foreign countries, American taxpayers also had a duty to help other countries curb the flow of crime across their borders.
The Biden administration has approved nearly $3 million in funding to support the Indian program. Kazakhstan, georgia and Indonesia The goal is to help Asian countries tackle various forms of border crime, according to grant records.
Kazakhstan’s program aims to reduce “border-related crimes” by increasing the country’s ability to detect crimes at air, land and sea borders. Meanwhile, an Indonesia-focused grant aims to curb organized crime, smuggling and piracy, and a Georgia program funds efforts to crush criminal networks involved in transnational crime. There is.
Other recent border security grants approved by the Biden administration include: Iraqmore than $1 million in aid Serbia$295,000 Angola$2.3 million border security training Algeria donates $400,000 to strengthen border security armenia $2.1 million in improvements. paraguayan Border security.
“I have said many times that the Biden administration must prioritize American tax dollars to address the chaos at our southern border,” Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio told DCNF.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported encountering nearly 3 million migrants at the southern border during the first five months of fiscal year 2023-2024.
A State Department spokesperson told DCNF, “The Department is working tirelessly to strengthen the capabilities of our foreign partners to effectively counter transnational criminal and terrorist threats.”
“The Department builds the capacity of foreign criminal justice partners, including the Border Patrol, and engages these partners with each other and with U.S. law enforcement to address common threats, including identifying and preventing terrorist travel. By connecting, we are advancing these efforts,” they continued. .
A spokesperson said these efforts “help keep America’s coasts and borders safer.”
Border Patrol agents in Kenya, Iraq, Jordan and Somalia earn millions of dollars from the federal government, but U.S. Border Patrol agents complain that a lack of resources is hampering their ability to carry out their duties. .
Meanwhile, Border Patrol is understaffed and must remove personnel from official ports of entry to patrol remote areas frequented by smugglers.
Migrants board a U.S. Customs and Border Protection bus after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Border Guard from October 2023 to March 2024 report They seized 6,664 pounds of marijuana, 995 pounds of cocaine, 3,000 pounds of meth, and 566 pounds of fentanyl. It only takes 2 mg of fentanyl to kill a person. according to This means Border Patrol has seized enough drugs to kill everyone in California more than once.
The State Department is currently soliciting applications for an estimated $1.5 million program to improve border security along the West African coast, according to federal documents.
Additionally, President Joe Biden signed into law a $95 billion foreign aid package on Wednesday. The package includes aid to Ukraine, Israel and U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as a provision banning TikTok in the United States. However, the bill does not include funding for America’s southern border, prompting criticism from some Republicans.
“House Republicans broke their promise to fight for our sovereignty before addressing Ukraine,” Roy told DCNF.
Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, along with other members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, opposed the policy, citing a lack of border funding. The Freedom Caucus accused the package of supporting “America’s last foreign war.” criticized This is to prevent “zero border security.”
Meanwhile, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, called the bill a “massive betrayal,” and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson added, “This is what we should do.”[told] Biden administration, you won’t get a penny for your foreign priorities until you do your job and secure our borders. ”
“Why do people choose the Republican Party when they’re more focused on other countries’ borders than their own borders?” he said.
The White House and Prime Minister Johnson’s office did not respond to DCNF’s requests for comment.
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