Rep. Derrick Van Orden In Washington D.C - Photo by New York Times
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) – A Wisconsin Congressman is taking aim at the VA after reports surfaced showing that migrants needing treatment after crossing the southern border are taking priority over U.S. veterans needing treatment.
According to the New York Post, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has contracted the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Texas-based Financial Services Center (FSC) since 2002 to process reimbursement claims from providers who provide services to detained migrants.
The outlet laid out a July 2023 Department of Homeland Security report on “Healthcare Costs for Noncitizens in Detention.” FSC processed 161,538 such claims in fiscal year 2022, which ended September 30. The ICE Health Services Corps (IHSC) paid out a total of $94.3 million in taxpayer money.
The VA’s website states that the backlog of benefit claims by veterans and their families that are pending has increased from about 150,000 to 417,855 over the last two years.
Wisconsin Congressman Derrick Van Orden, a former Navy Seal, slammed the Department for their actions during an interview with The Post, saying, “It is incredibly insulting to our veterans who risked our lives defending this nation, and it should shock the American taxpayers that the Biden administration is using VA resources to provide health care to illegal aliens.”
Van Orden went on to say that the VA’s involvement with ICE is “despicable and needs to be stopped immediately,” and that “many veterans have to travel hours and wait weeks to be seen at a VA facility.”
This report comes as DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas faces a Congressional committee looking into impeaching him over allegations he has encouraged illegal immigration instead of implementing policies to deter the flow of illegal migrants into the country, which was over 302,000 encounters in December alone.
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