Biden Admin Spent Over $22 Billion On Grants For Illegal Immigrants, Including Cars And Home Loans

The Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spent more than $22.6 billion in taxpayer dollars on grants benefiting illegal immigrants, including funding for cars, home loans, and business startups, according to a new watchdog report. The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), a division within HHS, distributed the funds to nonprofit groups, raising concerns that the program acted as a “magnet” for illegal immigration.

The audit, conducted by OpenTheBooks, revealed that the ORR dramatically expanded the number of noncitizens eligible for assistance between 2020 and 2024. Over that period, grant spending surged, reaching a high of over $10 billion in fiscal year 2023 alone. The spending increase coincided with record-breaking numbers of illegal crossings at the southern border, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 2.4 million apprehensions in the same timeframe.

Nonprofits that received ORR grants provided illegal immigrants with up to $1.7 billion in various forms of financial assistance. This included small-business loans of up to $15,000, loans of up to $1,500 to repair credit history, and dollar-for-dollar matching savings plans for cars, homes, and college tuition. Additional funds covered emergency housing, legal assistance, and Medicaid services. Some programs had eligibility requirements, such as prior U.S. residency or income below twice the federal poverty level.

A large portion of the funding—$12.4 billion—went toward unaccompanied minors, even as ORR faced scrutiny for losing track of 32,000 migrant children placed with sponsors. Federal whistleblowers raised concerns that many of the 291,000 children in ORR care had been placed with unvetted individuals, some of whom were found to be abusive.

John Hart, CEO of OpenTheBooks, criticized ORR’s approach, saying it undermined the principles of legal immigration. “The Shining City on a Hill…makes room for legal immigrants and legitimate refugees and asylum seekers, but the ORR has made a mockery of that vision in recent years,” Hart said. He further accused ORR of funneling taxpayer funds through nonprofits to avoid accountability.

The report also pointed to potential conflicts of interest within ORR’s leadership. Robin Dunn Marcos, who oversaw ORR’s program for unaccompanied migrant children, previously worked at nonprofit groups that received ORR funding. While she recused herself from approving grants to former employers after joining ORR in 2022, OpenTheBooks submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to determine whether those organizations had received special treatment.

As concerns over ORR’s spending grow, the Trump administration has taken action to roll back funding for programs benefiting illegal immigrants. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently clawed back $80 million previously allocated to house migrants in New York City hotels. With further scrutiny on ORR’s spending, it remains to be seen whether more funds will be revoked or redirected.