The government is tearing up our tax dollars while standing over a sewer grate.
The cost of living is killing many American families so the administration, supported by Republicans, is wasting substantial sums of money that could’ve helped these American families. It really hurts.
Since Jan. 2025, the price of gas has jumped 27%; computer software and accessories, 25%; postage and delivery services that affect most goods, 13%; electricity, 4%; clothing, 3.6%; coffee, 5%; ground beef, 18% orange juice, 20% and bread, 2.5%.
The Wall Street Journal reports today (Oct. 2) that the Department of Human Services (DHS) pays local police departments as much as $2 million for each illegal immigrant arrested. Miami Dade sheriffs department made seven arrests and received $14.5 million.
And in a small West Virginia town, the sheriff signed up for DHS‘s program, arrested two people, and his department was paid $137,000.
Without even one future arrest, this police department will still be paid money equal to a quarter of its annual budget as long as it remains signed up for the DHS task force.
This is how the administration and Republicans are bribing police departments to participate in rounding up of illegal immigrants to help Trump keep at least one campaign promise.
Under this program, even police in a jurisdiction without many immigrants qualifiy to receive $60,000 per year for each deputized officer after one arrest is made by the department.
Arrest one immigrant, agree to remain on the DHS task force and collect federal funds every calendar quarter.
Nice work if you can get it.
From January 2025 to August 2026 DHS has paid $200 million to its law enforcement “partners.”
And DHS requires the departments to remain silent about the number of arrests and the payments received. DHS won’t reveal either.
The Wall Street Journal applied DHS’s published funding formulas to calculate reimbursements, and these calculations were confirmed by a number of agencies across five states.
Trump‘s big beautiful bill (as some quip, they hope that’s the name of Trump‘s future cellmate) set aside $1 billion for this program, which was created in 1996 but ended by Obama in 2012.
Florida, Georgia, and Texas require that all state and county police agencies join this program.
Anyway, at a time when so many people are struggling to pay their bills, when food and medical support are being withheld from needy citizens, I thought you would like to know what is really important to Republicans and how they spend our tax dollars.
If this bothers you be sure to vote for Democrats in the midterms.
Jim Astrachan is lawyer who represents clients in intellectual property law and litigation, mediation, and business, regulatory, and transactional matters. He’s a Life Fellow of the Baltimore City Bar Foundation, the Maryland Bar Foundation, and the American Bar Foundation.