Michigan’s Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer has come under fire over her state’s taxpayer-funded “Newcomer Rental Subsidy” scheme after an illegal alien was arrested for murdering a woman.
The scheme hands $500 in taxpayer money to landlords who rent their properties to illegal border crossers.
Many have warned that such schemes are enticing illegal aliens to cross the border to get free handouts from American taxpayers.
However, Gov. Whitmer has now come under intense scrutiny over her scheme after an illegal alien murdered a woman in Michigan.
The program was blasted in a new report by The Midwesterner.
The outlet identified a post on Michigan’s state website about the scheme.
The website states:
“Many refugees and other newcomers face critical housing challenges, and this program will increase access to better and more affordable housing opportunities while supporting a more rapid social integration to refugees and other newcomer populations to Michigan.”
The website explains that the Newcomer Rental Subsidy program “provides Refugees and other Newcomer population-eligible households with rental assistance up to $500 per month for up to 12 months, with eligibility based on immigration status and household income.”
In order to be a beneficiary of the program, applicants must have an “eligible immigration status” that includes refugees, asylees, special immigration visa holders, victims of human trafficking, Cuban and Haitian entrants, Afghan nationals, or Ukrainian humanitarian parolees.
However, illegal aliens caught crossing the border claim to be seeking asylum, meaning they would qualify for the scheme.
Guidance from the state says that an individual or household can be a part of the program for up to 12 months.
A single individual or households with two individuals can receive a credit of $300 per month which rises to up to $500 per month in households of up to six individuals.
Landlords are issued payments through a system known as SIGMA.
They can choose to receive payments electronically or by check.
“Payments will be made in three-month installments; first payment will be issued upon the application being approved,” the guidance explains.
“Additional payments will be made thereafter.”
Whitmer’s critics blasted the program and raised safety concerns in light of several high-profile instances of crimes being committed by illegal aliens.
These crimes include a recent murder in Michigan believed to have been carried out by a man in the United States unlawfully.
Tudor Dixon, who ran as a Republican for governor against Whitmer in 2022, blasted Whitmer for aiding Democrat President Joe Biden’s “open border policies.”
“Gretchen Whitmer is enabling Joe Biden’s open border policies by handing out cash to anyone who will take in unvetted illegal immigrants, undoubtedly risking the safety of our neighborhoods and communities,” Dixon said.
“After the murder of Ruby Garcia less than a week ago, Whitmer should immediately cancel this program and demand Biden secure the border for the good of Michigan citizens.”
Brandon Ortiz-Vite, an illegal immigrant who was deported to Mexico in 2020, was recently charged with felony murder, open murder, carjacking, carrying a concealed weapon, and felony use of a firearm.
Ortiz-Vite was arrested after the body of 25-year-old Ruby Garcia was discovered on U.S. 131 in downtown Grand Rapids earlier this month.
Michigan GOP State Representative Andrew Fink, who recently sponsored a bill that essentially bans sanctuary cities, said:
“Rather than focus on border security and safe communities, the Whitmer administration appears to be focused on covering up our state’s population loss by subsidizing housing for not only refugees but anyone who has filed an application for asylum, over half of which are routinely rejected.”
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