Migrants gather at a crossing into El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Dec. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez, File - Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
According to the lawsuit, Mississippi has approximately 20,000 to 28,000 illegal aliens costing Magnolia State taxpayers more than $117 million per year.
The State of Mississippi is one of 20 states that filed a lawsuit this week to oppose the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s new program that creates a pathway to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the state’s involvement in the lawsuit. She said at a time when the nation is facing unprecedented levels of illegal migration, the U.S. government should be focused on securing the border.
“Instead, the Biden Administration unlawfully created a program that rewards and incentivizes hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants,” Fitch said. “This will just add to the mess that the Administration has already created at the border.”
Since President Joe Biden took office, nearly 4 million illegal immigrants have entered the U.S. In 2022, a record 2.4 million made the trek.
The Biden Administration believes they can reduce the border crossings by offering a pre-approved pathway for a set monthly number of migrants to apply for entry while in their home country. Homeland Security reported this week that they have seen a 97% reduction in migrants crossing into the U.S. from those countries named in the program when compared to December.
However, the lawsuit from the 20 states claims the Department of Homeland Security, under the false pretense of preventing aliens from unlawfully crossing the border between the ports of entry, effectively created a new visa program—without the formalities of legislation from Congress—by announcing that it will permit up to 360,000 aliens annually from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to be ‘paroled’ into the United States for two years or longer and with eligibility for employment authorization.
The states say in establishing the program, the Department did not engage in notice-and-comment rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act.
“The Administration’s new program violates limitations imposed by Congress and creates a de facto visa program that makes our border problems even worse than they are now,” said Fitch. “This is bad policy and bad policymaking.”
Each state cites how they are impacted by the Biden Administration’s program.
The lawsuit says Mississippi is injured by the parole program because it will be required to stretch its “scarce resources” even further due to an influx of illegal aliens who otherwise have no basis for entering the country.
“The program will further incentivize and exacerbate illegal immigration, and thus will force Mississippi to expend limited resources on education, healthcare, public assistance, law enforcement, and general government services,” the filing declares.
According to the lawsuit, Mississippi has approximately 20,000 to 28,000 illegal aliens living in the State. Of those, about 75% are uninsured and roughly 49% have incomes below the poverty level. The state says these persons cost Mississippi taxpayers more than $117 million per year.
“If more illegal aliens enter the State, that will increase the costs to the State’s healthcare system,” the lawsuit sets forth.
Healthcare in the Magnolia State is struggling as of late, with the financial and operational futures of many hospitals across the state on shaky ground.
The states participating in the lawsuit are Texas, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
To read the full filing, click here.
Frank Corder
