Overview

• A new report reveals Washington state used $340 million from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund to support undocumented immigrants.
• The Economic Policy Innovation Center criticizes the allocation, arguing it encourages illegal immigration by providing cash, housing, and legal aid.
• State officials defend the expenditure as aid for those excluded from other federal and state pandemic resources.
• The fund, which ended in early 2023, was part of the American Rescue Plan Act aimed at aiding state and local government pandemic recovery efforts.
• Ongoing discussions in Congress about supplemental funding include debates over asylum restrictions and the administration's immigration policies.