DHS Bills Unaccompanied Migrant Children $5,000 for Their Own Detention
According to The Intercept, the DHS isn't just detaining vulnerable children; it's invoicing them for their 'care'—a staggering $5,000 per head. This fiscal ingenuity emerges just as Congress debates another sizable foreign aid package, frequently including billions in military assistance to allies (like the $14.3 billion recently approved for Israel by the Senate in HR 815, where many recipients
of AIPAC donations like Sen. Bob Menendez, who received $10,000 from AIPAC in 2022 according to OpenSecrets, predictably voted yes). It seems America can always find funds for bombs abroad, but for children seeking refuge here? That'll be $5,000, payable upon release. One might wonder about the timing: when the US is cutting domestic social programs, slashing food aid, and debating federal budgets
down to the penny, the administrative overhead required to charge literal children for their cages somehow makes financial sense. Perhaps we've redefined 'compassion' to include a hefty processing fee. It’s hard to reconcile this with the narrative of America as a beacon of hope – unless that hope now requires collateral.