Mike Pence blasts Biden proposal to pay millions to migrant families separated at border
Former Vice President Mike Pence rips Biden administration for debating whether to pay ‘hundreds of millions’ to families separated at the border.
Former Vice President Mike Pence told "Fox & Friends" on Friday that Biden administration debating whether to pay "hundreds of millions" of dollars to families separated at the border is "totally unacceptable."
"Of course, their whole policy at the southern border has been a disaster from day one and it’s remarkable to think that under our administration, we built 400 miles of border wall and literally by implementing what was known as the Remain in Mexico policy we reduced illegal immigration by 90%," Pence said.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION DEBATES PAYING 'HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS' TO FAMILIES SEPARATED AT THE BORDER
President Biden's administration is considering whether to make payments to immigrants who were separated from their families at the border under former President Trump's administration, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
The report, based on remarks from "people familiar with the matter," states that payments of "around $450,000 a person in compensation" could be issued to immigrants affected by Trump's zero-tolerance immigration policy in an effort "to resolve lawsuits filed on behalf of parents and children who say the government subjected them to lasting psychological trauma."
Border Patrol agents on horseback. (Fox News/Bill Melugin)
The Journal stated the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services are "considering payments that could amount to close to $1 million a family," though final payment amounts could change as some "families would likely get smaller payouts, depending on their circumstances."
The sources also told the Journal that around 940 claims have been filed by immigrant families who were separated at the border.
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Pence said that after Biden rescinded the Trump administration's policy, they've unleashed the "worst border crisis in more than 30 years."
The former vice president added that the border crisis was a result of "dismantling policies that were working" and sending a message south of the border that America's borders are open to people coming illegally."
"And [migrants are] abusing our asylum system and this is one more message that will continue to be a magnet on people that are coming north of the border," he added.
The Trump-era border wall remains unfinished after the Biden administration put a stop to it. (Fox News)
"What we have to do is get back to what was working, reimplement the Remain in Mexico policy, require people to wait in Mexico when they apply for asylum and let’s not be paying millions of dollars a week to pay people not to build the wall. Let’s get back to building the wall. That border security worked. It's just one more example of disastrous policies that violate the common sense of the American people," Pence said.
Fox News' Kyle Morris contributed to this report.
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