Meuser bill demands transparency for illegal immigrant transit in U.S.

WILKES-BARRE — U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser Thursday said the Biden administration has created an unmitigated disaster at the southern border and it is directly impacting communities across the United States.

Meuser, R-Dallas, joined by more than 30 of his Republican colleagues, introduced the Immigration Transparency and Transit Notification Act, which requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Health and Human Services (HHS) to notify the relevant federal, state, and local officials about the transportation, by bus or plane, and placement of illegal immigrants or unaccompanied alien children (UAC) in their sate.

“Their open-border policies have incentivized illegal immigrants to flood our border by the thousands, and Biden’s DHS and HHS are now secretly flying these immigrants across the country in the dead of night to be resettled in American communities,” Meuser said. “Giving no notice to federal, state, or local officials of who they are or where they are going. This must change. My legislation will bring transparency to the process and ensure that states have a say in the matter while bringing awareness to the local communities.”

Meuser’s bill would:

• Require the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Health & Human Services (HHS) to notify the relevant Federal, State, and Local officials about the transportation, by bus or plane, and placement of illegal immigrants or unaccompanied alien children (UAC) in their state no later than 7 days before the process begins.

• Give governors an opportunity to evaluate the placement of illegal immigrants in their state.

• Ensure the safety of UACs from human trafficking by requiring the agencies to provide information about their sponsors and final destinations.

• Require DHS and HHS to provide Congress with a quarterly report that includes information on the illegals and their placement as well as identifying third-party private entities that pay all or part of the costs of the transportation.

Background

In December 2021, Meuser was notified, by civilian airport employees, that chartered flights carrying hundreds of illegal immigrants were landing at multiple airports throughout northeastern Pennsylvania, with passengers then put on buses to undisclosed locations.

Meuser said there are many documented cases of similar situations in New York, Florida, Texas, and Tennessee. “Thanks to the Biden Administration’s open-border policies, every state is now a border state,” he said.

In late December Meuser participated in a conference call with HHS in which he said he was told:

• All passengers were tested and at have received at least one vaccination; all minors receive vaccinations appropriate to their age, including against COVID-19, and are not transported unless they have tested negative for COVID-19.

• The majority of the children were released to family members, while others are being sent to HHS contracted facilities.

• HHS was doing its best to move these children into their sponsorships, which includes foster homes in metropolitan areas.

• Upon being released from HHS custody, the minors will begin “standard immigration proceedings.”

• None of the undocumented children remained in Luzerne County, Meuser said he was told.