Hudson Bill Blocks Biden from Diverting Veteran Resources to Illegal Immigrants

Washington, DC— U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC) has cosponsored the Veterans First Act of 2022, legislation that will stop the Biden administration from diverting resources for our veterans to manage its self-inflicted southern border crisis. Introduced by Rep. Steve Womack (AR-3), the legislation specifically prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from prioritizing the needs of illegal immigrants over our nation’s heroes as the Biden administration expects a surge at the southern border following their efforts to rescind the Trump-era immigration policy Title 42.

"Reports that the Biden administration is considering using VA resources to mitigate its self-inflicted border crisis are unacceptable. President Biden must maintain Title 42 and secure our border, but not at the expense of our veterans," said Rep. Hudson. "I am proud to join Rep. Womack and my colleagues in introducing the Veterans First Act of 2022, a vital piece of legislation for supporting our veterans and ensuring we keep every promise made to these heroes and their families for their service."

Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas confirmed conversations between agency staff to divert VA resources, doctors, and nurses to help care for illegal immigrants. This follows previous reports of the Biden administration considering what interagency resources could be deployed to deal with surges should Title 42 policies be lifted. Since President Biden entered office and halted deportations, border wall construction, and the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, more than 2.4 million illegal immigrants have been encountered at the southern border. This includes more than 221,000 migrants last month, the highest March on record. Border agents have determined ending Title 42 could lead up to 18,000 migrants being encountered per day.

In Congress, Rep. Hudson has been a leading advocate for securing the southern border and has seen the crisis firsthand. The Veterans First Act is the House companion to bill introduced by Senator John Boozman (R-AR). Text of the bill can be found here.

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