“I uphold the Constitution to the best of my ability, so help me God.” -Josh Schriver
May 21, 2024
Dear Neighbor,
“If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime” is a familiar saying.
You put in a ton of time to earn an honest living. Your hard-earned money that goes to our government via tax is likely going to be used to pay for the crimes of illegal immigrants. They “do the crime” of entering our country illegally and "you “do the time” by working to pay for their illegal presence.
Our government could soon use your tax dollars to provide services to illegal immigrants - at the direct expense of Michigan residents.
This what many lawmakers are talking about right now in our State Capital. In 2023, the Michigan legislature authorized approximately $40 million in federal dollars to provide various “services” to asylum seekers coming into the United States through the Office of Global Michigan.
In addition, our Governor signed legislation to allow our government to use taxpayer money to prop up non-governmental organizations that provide services to illegal immigrants. On page 256 of Public Act 119 (section 1018), it says “$3,000,000.00 shall be awarded to a nonprofit organization that provides support for foreign-born non-citizens in this state.” In addition, the law states, “The funds shall be used to provide legal services, housing supports, staffing, and outreach to foreign-born non-citizens in this state.”
The state is already asking residents to volunteer to help house these “newcomers” in their homes, according to Fox2Detroit.[1] Some local officials I spoke to said non-governmental organizations receiving federal funds are already providing housing stipends for illegal immigrants living in hotels in Oakland County.
Earlier this year, the Governor proposed “multi-cultural service grants” and “immigrant legal and other services” in her 2024 budget proposals to help them “navigate state and non-profit services.” So does this mean illegal immigrants will get extra help finding free transportation, housing, medical services, temporary assistance, language assistance, schooling for children, and other services (with our tax money) while actively violating our immigration laws?
So far, there are more questions than answers from this department. They want residents to believe the only people who qualify for this program are refugees fleeing war-torn countries. There are many loopholes within the system that could allow illegal immigrants to game the system.
Kaitlyn Buss from the Detroit News reported that the requirements are not strict enough to prevent fraud, waste and abuse of taxpayer money.[2]
According to the Office of Global Michigan website, individuals with a pending asylum application are allowed to apply for these subsidies - as well as “other immigrant individuals on a case by case scenario.”[3] Frequently, the federal government does issue work permits to defensive asylum seekers.
Illegal aliens frequently take advantage of asylum applications, court backlogs, cash payments (so income does not have to be reported) and “alternate identification documents” to avoid deportation.
These loopholes could allow illegal immigrants to receive 1 year of taxpayer-provided housing subsidies and other government benefits - contrary to what the spokesperson for the Office of Global Michigan is saying.
Illegal immigration is a huge problem in the Great Lakes State. According to the Migration Policy Institute, 91,000 illegal immigrants currently live in Michigan.[4] In addition, according to a Fox News report, 7.2 million illegal aliens have entered the United States illegally since 2020 - a number greater than the population of 36 U.S. states.[5] The solution is simple: identify, detain and deport them.
Because our immigration system is bogged down with fake asylum seekers, it is very possible government employees that work for this department could allow lawbreakers to take advantage of this loophole to obtain taxpayer-provided housing subsidies. We must never use tax money to subsidize this unlawful activity!
Several other ramifications of this horrendous policy:
● By not making strong efforts to close this loophole, the Office of Global Michigan is sending a clear message: The interests of lawbreakers are more important than those of American citizens.
● It gives handouts and incentives to illegal immigrants to stay in this country by presenting a frivolous asylum claim to immigration judges.
● It’s an un-Constitutional use of your tax dollars! Our government continues to prioritize rolling out the welcome mat for illegal aliens at the expense of ensuring local law enforcement, infrastructure repairs, and our military are properly funded.
● It will only cause our illegal immigration crisis to get worse! Illegal immigrants go to states with the best government benefits.
So far, the Office of Global Michigan has not provided clear answers on how they verify lawful immigration status, the timing and sufficiency of eligibility evaluations; terminations of benefits for those who are ineligible; how the program verifies employment; and how the program aligns with federal funding requirements.
I will let you know when and if they do provide more specifics. Michigan residents deserve to know the truth about what this department is doing with their hard earned money!
God Bless You,
Representative Josh Schriver
For the sake of full transparency and accountability, I am one of only 8 out of 110 State Representatives in Michigan to report every single vote I make with a reason for each vote.
Below, you will find all of my votes and reasons from last week:
HB 5147: Eliminate Sunset on Higher Education and Distance Education Reciprocal Exchange Act
NO- Keeping the sunset in place will provide an opportunity for legislators to review the efficiency of the program and adjust, or let it expire, if deemed necessary.
PASSED 80-27
SB 415/416: Microbrewer Use of Purchaser Licenses
NO- Necessitating sales tax ID numbers or exemption certificates (as current law already requires) ensures transactions are eligible for the sales and use tax exemptions this bill redundantly aims to address.
BOTH PASSED 101-6
HB 5462: Designates a portion of Highway M-26 as “Wesley Vietti Karna Memorial Highway”
YES- Wesley Vietti Karna was born August 24th,1922 in Painesdale, Michigan. He was the son of Finnish immigrants, Erick and Ida, and was one of nine children. During World War II, Karna served as a private in the Fifth Army, 91st Infantry, 362nd Regiment, F Company stationed in Italy. On September 24th, 1944, Private Karna was killed in action when fighting in northern Italy against the Gothic Line, an enemy force made up of German and Italian forces. Karna received the purple heart for his service.
PASSED 107-0
All 2023 VOTES & REASONS: CLICK HERE
All 2024 VOTES & REASONS CLICK HERE
Sources:
[1] State of Michigan asks for volunteers to help house migrants - Fox2Detroit - February 19, 2024
[2] Buss: Taxpayers deserve answers on Michigan's 'newcomer' program - Detroit News Article
[3] Newcomer Rental Subsidy - Office of Global Michigan Website
[4] Profile of the Unauthorized Population: Michigan - Migration Policy Institute
[5] 7.2M illegals entered the US under Biden admin, an amount greater than population of 36 states - Fox News Article - Chris Pandolfo - February 20, 2024