To pull it off, the lawmakers’ letter explains, “DeSantis tapped a $12 million program that the Florida Legislature created earlier this year to allow the Florida Department of Transportation to ‘facilitate the transport of unauthorized aliens out of Florida.'”
The letter highlights that “the $12 million was funded through ‘the interest earnings associated with the federal Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund,’ effectively using Covid-19 relief to score political points by exploiting vulnerable immigrants.” This conflicts with Congress’ intent for the SLFRF, which was established with the American Rescue Plan Act, the letter argues:
As explained in the Treasury Department’s final rule implementing the Fund, the SLFRF was intended to “fight the pandemic and support families and businesses struggling with its public health and economic impacts; maintain vital public services, even amid declines in revenue resulting from the crisis; and build a strong, resilient, and equitable recovery by making investments that support long-term growth and opportunity.
While the rule was designed to provide flexibility to state and local governments, Congress neither intended to allow, or authorized, state governments to use the SLFRF funds for immigration enforcement. Nothing in the American Rescue Plan Act or Treasury’s final rule appears to allow states to use SLFRF funds to remove or relocate immigrants.
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