Illegal immigrants are claiming billions of dollars worth of Medicaid and other US benefits, according to data uncovered by the head of DOGE’s border team.
Antonio Gracias said around 1.3 million non-citizens are currently claiming Medicaid, at an estimated cost of around $6.5 billion.
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The figure leapt from 400,000 in 2021, to more than two million in 2024. Among those are people who have entered the US legally on visas and green cards and who pay into the US tax system.
But a large proportion are undocumented migrants who are benefitting from ‘maximum pay’ and ‘minimum collection,’ Gracias said.
‘The defaults in the system, from Social Security to all benefit programs, have been set to maximum inclusion, maximum pay for these people, and minimum collection,’ he told the All-In podcast.
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According to Medicaid.gov, the average annual cost per Medicaid enrollee is between $4,000 and $7,000, meaning the cost for all non-citizen beneficiaries tops out at $6.5 billion.
Gracias blamed Biden era immigration policies for the surge in SSNs being assigned as the border struggled with an influx of migrants.
‘The vast majority of the growth was related to asylum programs and people who came in on NTAs (Notices to Appear), it turns out that the requirements were so loosely defined that more people could come through,’ Gracias said.
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‘Some people showed IDs, some didn’t. The most disturbing thing was that 23 percent of the records we looked at had no fingerprints,’ he said.
While some of these individuals entered the US through legitimate programs, such as Afghan translators, Gracias said most growth stemmed from the expansion of asylum programs.
He pointed out that one of the most common birth dates in the system was January 1st, indicating data manipulation or careless entry.
Gracias’ team also uncovered instances of non-citizens improperly registered to vote, an additional federal violation.
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Historically, Social Security numbers were only available to US citizens, however they were extended to non-citizens in 2003.
While this policy was meant to ensure tax contributions from foreign workers, Gracias pointed out that the system has been increasingly abused.
While the data is still being analyzed, Gracias made it clear that these revelations were just the ‘tip of the iceberg,’ and much more needs to be done to address the systemic failures that allowed such issues to proliferate.
‘This is not a political issue… it’s about America… and this is just the tip of the iceberg,’ he added.
* Original Article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14575919/amp/doge-antonio-gracias-border-chief-immigration.html?ito=smartnews