by Corinne Murdock | Nov 4, 2023 | Education, News
By Corinne Murdock |
The University of Arizona (UArizona) is now offering scholarships to illegal immigrants using the nonprofit arm of a leftist dark money network.
The university partnered with TheDream.US to provide the scholarships: an initiative of the New Venture Fund, an initiative by one of the biggest leftist dark money organizations in the nation, Arabella Advisors. That organization recently came under investigation for tax law aversion and illegal profiteering. UArizona President Robert Robbins said that the scholarships would provide opportunities for all Arizona youth regardless of their citizenship status.
“This new partnership with TheDream.US is a crucial step in our effort to make sure that all of Arizona’s youth have the opportunity to attend college and achieve their higher education goals,” said Robbins. “I am proud that the university, as Arizona’s land-grant institution, has entered this partnership, which allows us to serve more incoming students, including Arizona’s Dreamers.”
These scholarships — running up to $33,000 for tuition and fees — don’t require an illegal immigrant to have protections from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS), so long as they came to the U.S. before the age of 16 and before Nov. 1, 2018, and have graduated from high school.
A full scholarship would cover all but $200 of in-state, on-campus costs of attendance. Should the illegal immigrant live off campus, the scholarship would completely cover costs of attendance with around $10,000 left over.
Some applicants may also receive an additional stipend of up to $6,000 for books, supplies, and transportation.
Illegal immigrants became eligible for in-state tuition last year with the passage of Proposition 308, backed by at least $1.2 million from out-of-state dark money networks.
Last year, TheDream.US partnered with Northern Arizona University (NAU) to offer the same scholarship opportunity to illegal immigrants. Arizona State University (ASU), Phoenix College, and Grand Canyon University (GCU) also partner with TheDream.US.
TheDream.US founders are: Don Graham, chairman of Graham Holdings Company (formerly The Washington Post), former director of Facebook, and former member of the Pulitzer Prize Board; Carlos Guitierrez, chairman and CEO of Empath, former chairman and CEO of Kellogg’s, and former Secretary of Commerce for the Bush administration; and Henry R. Muñoz III, former finance chairman for the Democratic National Committee.
Several among the senior staff at TheDream.US were illegal immigrants themselves. Leading them is president and CEO Gaby Pacheco, an illegal immigrant who didn’t obtain her citizenship until June. As an activist, Pacheco helped inspire the DACA program as enacted via executive order by former President Barack Obama.
Last year, TheDream.US president was Candy Marshall, the former chief human resources officer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Marshall now serves as the senior advisor to the organization.
Advisory board members include Lupe De La Cruz, Pepsi vice president of government affairs and corporate citizenship; Mei-Yen Ireland, senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Georgia Levenson Keohane, CEO of the Soros Economic Development Fund; and Andrew Rosen, chairman and CEO of Kaplan.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Oct 15, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
The city of Tucson will have spent around $5 million to house illegal immigrants over the course of nine months.
The city expanded its budget for the illegal immigrants during its regular council meeting last week.
The $5 million covered an April 1 through Dec. 31 budget this year, or nine months. The bulk of the funding, $4.3 million, covers overflow hotel nights on an as-needed basis. $550,000 covers the city’s Sun Tran bus service to shuttle the illegal immigrants from shelter sites and the Tucson International Airport. The remaining $150,000 was for staff on an as-needed basis.
In agenda documents, the city detailed how the border crisis has resulted in a significant increase in illegal immigrants that overwhelmed the Casa Alitas Welcome Center and necessitated overflow into non-congregate settings such as hotels and local transportation such as the city’s Sun Tran bus service.
The illegal immigrant flood also resulted in the Pima County Emergency Food and Shelter Program Local Board to request additional relief funding from their national board.
In April, the city entered into an agreement with Pima County to reimburse the city for the emergency shelter, transportation, and staff support services provided to illegal immigrants amid the ongoing border crisis. The city characterized the illegal immigrants they served as “legally present.”
The funding ultimately originates from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) serving as the primary pass-through entity and the Emergency Food Shelter (EFSP) National Board serving as the secondary pass-through entity.
The additional funding was approved collectively as part of last week’s consent agenda.
Congress first began appropriating funds for EFSP specifically for migrants in 2019 through the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border, with its first round of funds totaling $30 million. In 2021, Congress issued $110 million through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. In 2022, Congress issued $150 million through the DHS Appropriations Act of 2022.
This year, Congress issued $425 million through the DHS Appropriations Act of 2023.
Pima County Grants Management & Innovation has received over $26 million in funding specifically for illegal immigrant humanitarian relief. The various World Hunger Ecumenial Arizona Task Forces have received, collectively, over $19.4 million: the Maricopa County branch received over $11 million, the Cochise County branch received over $75,000, the Disculpos de Reino branch received over $66,000, and the Yuma County branch received nearly $8.2 million.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Jul 6, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
The $60 million promised by Gov. Katie Hobbs to house the homeless in this latest budget is now being used to house, feed, and provide resources to illegal immigrants as well.
Gov. Katie Hobbs hailed the funding as a means of affordable housing for “every Arizonan” — which now apparently includes illegal immigrants.
“With the Homeless Shelter and Services Fund and the historic $150 million deposit into Arizona’s Housing Trust Fund, we are making real progress toward ensuring affordable housing for every Arizonan,” said Hobbs.
$20 million of the $60 million was deployed immediately in early June through the Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH). The agency neglected to mention in its press release that illegal immigrants would also benefit from the millions.
The funds are dispersed through ADOH’s newly-established Homeless Shelter and Services (HSS) Fund. ADOH advised applicants that it would prioritize those who served those impacted by the court order for the city of Phoenix to clean up its mass homeless encampments in Freddy Brown v. City of Phoenix, the expiration of Title 42 which enabled the expedited expulsion of illegal immigrants, and the closure of sober living homes and residential facilities.
On Wednesday, the city councils for Scottsdale and Phoenix approved their portion of ADOH HHS funding. Unlike Scottsdale, Phoenix approved their funding without discussion.
The following received a cut of this recently-allocated $20 million:
- Phoenix: $13.3 million
- Tucson: $2.73 million
- Mesa: $1 million
- Scottsdale: $940,000
- Tempe: $929,000
- Flagstaff: $840,000
- Coconino County: $133,000
Apart from Phoenix and Scottsdale, the other city councils or boards have yet to discuss their awarding of funds during a regular meeting.
As part of their agreement to receive the ADOH funds, Scottsdale will take in the “overflow” of Phoenix’s homeless population displaced by the breakup of the mass homeless encampment known as “The Zone.”
Scottsdale will pay $500,000 to rent hotel rooms at McCormick Ranch, as well as issue $400,000 for supportive services and $40,000 for nutrition and all other “essential needs” for a year.
Up to 120 individuals will benefit from this arrangement. 30 percent of the rooms must go to homeless individuals from “The Zone” — Phoenix’s mass homeless encampment that the Maricopa County Superior Court ruled in May must be cleaned up.
Councilman Barry Graham, who voted against Scottsdale’s recent measure, expressed consternation that city leaders chose to prioritize outsiders over Scottsdale’s homeless population.
“I voted ‘no’ based on responses to my questions about vetting participants and community safety,” stated Graham. “Scottsdale residents are compassionate — however there are better ways to demonstrate compassion.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Corinne Murdock | Mar 21, 2023 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
Last week, Gov. Katie Hobbs held “listening sessions” ahead of her third trip to the southern border in order to better understand the border crisis.
Hobbs met with groups that provide housing and transport for illegal immigrants seeking asylum to discuss the anticipated impact of Title 42’s end come May 11. These included Campesinos sin Fronteras, International Rescue Committee, Regional Center Border Health and representatives from Greyhound lines and Sky Harbor International Airport.
The governor claimed in a press release that her administration has “proactively” addressed the crisis.
“My administration is proactively addressing the myriad of issues with our southern border, and want to hear from organizations on the ground regarding how the administration can better support efforts to coordinate and collaborate on processing these individuals in the most humane and efficient manner,” said Hobbs.
There have been well over 4.9 million southwest border encounters since President Joe Biden took office. That’s an average of over 197,000 encounters a month. At this rate, there could be well over 9.4 million illegal immigrant encounters by the end of the president’s first term.
The encounter data doesn’t include gotaways: those illegal immigrants not apprehended but observed crossing into the country.
Hobbs plans to visit the border on Tuesday; her third since taking office in January, previously visiting Yuma, San Luis, and Somerton. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas plans to join Hobbs for this latest border visit.
The governor has taken the opposite approach from her predecessor when it comes to border security. Almost immediately after taking office, Hobbs had the shipping containers removed and repurposed into houses for the homeless. Hobbs claimed that former Gov. Doug Ducey’s effort to close the border was a “publicity stunt,” and not a permanent solution.
The state spent about $95 million on construction and $75 million on removal of the shipping containers.
Following her election, Hobbs also pledged to dissolve Ducey’s Border Strike Force (BSF), established in 2015. Hobbs clarified during a press conference last month that the BSF would go away — but not its funding and resources.
“Right now, the Border Strike Force is not actually being utilized at the border, so we want to coordinate those resources where they can be most helpful with the law enforcement there,” said Hobbs. “It’s really important to listen to the folks working in the field that are experts on these and take our direction from them.”
Hobbs has also advocated for greater benefits to illegal immigrants, asking lawmakers for $40 million to finance illegal immigrants’ college tuition during her State of the State address in January.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by AZ Free Enterprise Club | Jan 21, 2023 | Opinion
By the Arizona Free Enterprise Club |
The people of Arizona do not want to turn our state into the next California. But just a few weeks into her reign as governor, Katie Hobbs has made it clear—that’s exactly what she intends to do. Last week, Hobbs released her first budget plan, and it’s nothing more than a liberal wish list of big spending, extreme proposals, and corporate welfare designed to reward her special interest friends.
Her first target is education, and she wasted no time going after Arizona’s expansion of Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs). Yes, the program that is so popular that it overwhelmed the Department of Education’s website immediately after launch—the one that even some Democrats have openly supported. Despite being a private schooler herself, Hobbs wants to dismantle school choice for all with a full repeal of universal ESAs. And that’s just the start…
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