At a time of global and national strife, when businesses have folded, children shelter at home, and the path forward is unclear, Democrats have formulated a plan: give money to illegal aliens.

In two separate initiatives, coronavirus relief funds will be distributed to illegal aliens in California and New York. In California, the funds will be disbursed by the state government. As summarized by Kaiser Health:

Los Angeles Times: Newsom Announces Coronavirus Help For Unemployed, Immigrants

California is expanding hours at its call center that handles unemployment insurance and preparing to expedite benefits to independent contractors in response to a record number of people who are out of work and seeking government help as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Gavin Newsom discussed the efforts Wednesday and noted that 2.7 million Californians had filed for unemployment benefits in the last month, after businesses across the state shuttered under his stay-at-home order and the economy tanked. Newsom also announced a $125-million relief effort to help roughly 150,000 Californians without legal immigration status. (Luna, McGreevy and Myers, 4/15)

$125 million for people who came here illegally? The New American Dream is winning the lottery without purchasing a ticket. No wonder so many people want to come here. We're handing out money! From the standpoint of virus spread, the timing couldn't be worse: if you can make it to coastal coronavirus hotspots, collect free money!

The New York plan is the brainchild of infamous financier George Soros. Funds totaling $130 million are to be disbursed by Mayor Bill De Blasio. It's a questionable choice, considering that De Blasio's office is responsible for misplacing $850 million in funds earmarked for ThriveNYC, a mental health program for city employees, just last year.

While not all of the Soros grant will go to illegals, a Soros spokesman stated that the $130 million is merely "an initial investment."

Mr. Soros’s organization, Open Society Foundations, is making two large grants to nonprofits linked to the government of New York City, which is the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, with more than 10,000 deaths because of the virus.

The first grant will provide $20 million to create an Immigrant Emergency Relief Program in partnership with the city to provide direct, one-time payments to up to 20,000 immigrant families who are excluded from the federal relief program, including undocumented people. Individuals will receive $400 and families will get $1,000.

The New York Times

The timing of the gifts to known criminals is beyond suspicious. The same week that American citizens begin to receive $1,200 checks from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, liberals leap up on both coasts to give money to illegals and other pet projects.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom tried to soften the blow, claiming that illegals paid "$2.5 billion in taxes" last year.

Ridiculous. What "undocumented immigrant" would call attention to himself by filing a federal tax return, especially if his taxpayer identification number doesn't exist? It turns out that this is yet another form of welfare. As reported by CNS News:

In the last presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, Clinton said that “half of all” illegal immigrants in the U.S. “actually pay federal income tax.” PolitiFact, a Pulitzer Prize-winning fact check organization, investigated Clinton’s claim and reported: “While there is no official figure, experts estimate that about half of all undocumented workers pay federal income taxes, if not more.”

In reality, the polar opposite is true. Federal government data shows that while roughly half of illegal immigrants file federal tax returns, the vast majority of them don’t pay any federal income taxes. Instead, they use these returns to claim refundable tax credits, which are a form of cash welfare. In other words, illegal immigrants mainly use the federal income tax code to collect money from U.S. citizens.

It's truly shocking what depths Democratic politicians and donors will sink to in order to assure cheap labor, and to grow their voting base.

Perhaps some ICE agents positioned outside the collection centers would balance out this virtue signaling exercise.

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