Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has qualified for the general election ballot in Michigan, a crucial battleground state in the 2024 election, his campaign said on Thursday.
Kennedy, along with his running mate Nicole Shanahan, will appear on the Michigan ballot as nominees for the Natural Law Party, which has already filed all the necessary paperwork to make the ballot, Team Kennedy said in a <a href="https://www.kennedy24.com/kennedy_ballot_michigan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. The independent candidate is pitching himself to voters as a viable alternative to Biden and Trump, while the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees are set to face off in a rematch of the 2020 election.
“He’s the most qualified candidate in the modern-day history of America,” Natural Law Party Chairman Doug Dern said of Kennedy. “We welcome Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Shanahan to the party.”
The Natural Law Party, founded in 1992, <a href="https://www.natural-law.org/platform/50_point_summary.html#government" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seeks</a> to “Solve problems at their basis by bringing individual life, and our national policies, into greater harmony with natural law through proven educational programs; natural, preventive health care; renewable energy; sustainable agriculture; and other forward-looking, prevention-oriented programs,” according to its website.
Michigan marks the third swing state where Kennedy will appear on the ballot, according to his campaign. Team Kennedy said he has also qualified for ballot placement in Nevada and North Carolina, two states where Trump currently posts a slight lead over Biden in the polls.
The 2024 race in Michigan could play a pivotal role in deciding who will be sworn in on January 20, 2025. Democrats <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dems-counting-on-3-battleground-states-to-deliver-2024-win-for-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> earlier this month that Michigan, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, is one of three states that the party is counting on to deliver a 2024 win for Biden.
Kennedy’s ballot access in Michigan, however, potentially throws another obstacle in the president’s path to winning the Great Lakes State, where Biden&#8217;s re-election is already being threatened by a significant number of Muslims who oppose his support for Israel in its war against Hamas. In the Michigan Democratic primary, Biden was opposed by more than 100,000 voters (13.2%) who voted “Uncommitted.”
Currently, Trump leads Biden by more than three points in Michigan, according to the <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/michigan/trump-vs-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RealClearPolitics</a> polling average. In a <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/trump-vs-biden-vs-kennedy-vs-west-vs-stein" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five-way race</a>, adding in RFK Jr., along with Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent candidate Cornel West, Trump is less than two points ahead of Biden nationally, according to RCP.
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Last month, Kennedy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rfk-jr-announces-hardcore-leftist-nicole-shanahan-as-his-vp-pick" target="_blank" rel="noopener">chose Shanahan</a>, a lawyer and Democratic donor, as his running mate. Shanahan, the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, supported President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign against Trump and also donated $150,000 to the campaign of leftist Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-not-just-soros-5-high-powered-women-trying-to-reshape-nations-largest-criminal-justice-system">at least $300,000</a> to a campaign led by a coalition of nonprofits and activist groups to pass a voter referendum &#8220;to <a href="https://reimagine.la/measure-j/">divest</a> from incarceration and policing&#8221; in L.A. County.
Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-blasts-rfk-jr-most-radical-left-candidate-in-the-race" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blasted</a> Kennedy as “the most radical Left candidate in the race” but added that his candidacy “is going to be taking votes from Crooked Joe Biden, which would be a great service to America.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

RFK Jr. Gains Ballot Access In Major Battleground State Through A Third Party, Campaign Says

2024 Election

Donald Trump

Elections

Joe Biden

Michigan

Politics

As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/michigan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan</a> residents express outrage over the death of a young woman who was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/once-deported-illegal-immigrant-charged-with-murder-in-shooting-death-of-25-year-old-michigan-woman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">killed</a> allegedly by an illegal immigrant in Grand Rapids, Democratic Congresswoman Hillary Scholten — whose district covers the city — is being criticized for her past work attempting to stop the U.S. from deporting an Iraqi refugee charged with child molestation.
Scholten, a freshman congresswoman who flipped her district from Republican to Democrat in 2022, worked as an immigration attorney before she was elected to Congress and once wrote a <a href="https://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2195&amp;context=fac_pubs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">journal article</a> for the St. Louis University School of Law where she and her co-author, Maureen Sweeney, called deportation “cruel and unusual punishment.” Scholten’s work as an immigration attorney appeared to reflect her beliefs laid out in the 2011 journal article when, beginning in 2018, she fought to stop the deportation of an Iraqi woman who was charged with molesting a 12-year-old girl, according to court documents first reported on by <a href="https://www.themidwesterner.news/2024/04/hillary-scholtens-immigration-leadership-includes-deeming-deportation-cruel-and-unusual-punishment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Midwesterner</a>.
Azal “Mary” Saleh, a refugee and registered sex offender from Iraq, was facing deportation after being charged with molesting a child when Scholten defended her. Saleh appealed her removal order, arguing that she was protected by the Convention Against Torture.
Following The Midwesterner report, Michigan Republicans slammed the congresswoman and anyone seeking to protect illegal immigrants charged with serious crimes from deportation. Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon ripped Scholten on her eponymous <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tudor-dixon-podcast/id1678556326" target="_blank" rel="noopener">podcast</a> last weekend, <a href="https://twitter.com/TudorDixon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a> the Democratic congresswoman “defends pedophiles, keeps them in this country when they are illegal immigrants, [and] also wants to get ICE out of her county.”
Scholten’s fellow Michigan representative, Tim Walberg — a Republican — represents a district just south of Scholten’s. Earlier this month, an illegal immigrant from Mexico was <a href="https://wwmt.com/news/local/sturgis-police-home-invasion-sexual-assault-sweet-lake-mobile-home-park-arrest-michigan-police-sheriff-office-saint-joseph-county" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> for allegedly breaking into a home in Walberg’s district and sexually assaulting two young girls.
Walberg told The Daily Wire in a statement that anyone “working to keep illegal immigrant sex offenders in this country is radical and morally wrong.&#8221;
“Sadly, Michigan is not immune from violent crime committed by illegal immigrants, whether that be Ruby Garcia’s murder or the sexual assault of two young girls in my district a few weeks ago. Working to keep illegal immigrant sex offenders in this country is radical and morally wrong,” Walberg said. “We should be projecting a clear, unified message that this is not acceptable.”
Rep. Scholten has not responded to a Daily Wire request for comment.
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According to <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca6/18-4033/18-4033-2019-12-12.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">court documents</a>, Saleh came to the U.S. as a refugee in 2010 and lived with a foster family in Michigan. While staying with the foster family, Saleh was raped and forced into prostitution, the court documents state. Saleh then moved in with her case worker whose granddaughter later accused Saleh of sexually assaulting her.
“Though Petitioner contests the truth of these allegations, she pleaded guilty to Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Fourth Degree, Victim Between Ages 13-16, the offense that prompted the instant removal proceedings,” the court documents state.
Saleh fought against the deportation, arguing that “she would be tortured upon removal to Iraq because of her identity as a female, Christian, Westernized, single mother without family support and with a history of forced prostitution and a criminal record that identifies her as having engaged in homosexual activity.”
The Iraqi refugee&#8217;s appeal was denied in part and dismissed in part, but Saleh, now 31 years old, still lives in Lansing, Michigan, according to the <a href="https://mspsor.com/Home/OffenderDetails/17dbd2f0-874c-4046-aeb5-ae25d2545d43" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan Sex Offender Registry</a>.
Scholten has sought to address the illegal immigration crisis under President Joe Biden by visiting the southern border earlier this year, calling it a “national security crisis, a humanitarian crisis, and an economic crisis.” The congresswoman&#8217;s district was then rocked by the murder of 25-year-old Ruby Garcia, whose body was found near a Grand Rapids road last month. Brandon Ortiz-Vite, who was deported in 2020 under the Trump administration, was charged with killing Garcia.
&#8220;My heart breaks for Ruby Garcia and her family as they grapple with this unspeakable tragedy,&#8221; Scholten <a href="https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/border-concerns-ruby-garcia-killed/69-7455be0e-2b68-490b-b51c-32c60fdda06e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> following Garcia&#8217;s murder. &#8220;The individual who committed this heinous crime should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I&#8217;m continuing to push for bipartisan immigration reform that both secures our border and makes sure that individuals who come to our country are fully vetted to keep our communities safe.&#8221;

Hillary Scholten

Dem Congresswoman Called Deportation ‘Cruel And Unusual Punishment,’ Fought Against Removal Of Refugee Charged With Molesting Child

Dem Congresswoman Called Deportation 'Cruel And Unusual Punishment,' Fought Against Removal Of Refugee Charged With Molesting Child

Border Crisis

Crime

Democrat

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

U.S.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) got testy with Fox Business Reporter Hillary Vaughn over a question about a rally in her home district where anti-Israel protesters chanted &#8220;Death to America&#8221; and called for the eradication of Israel.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/protesters-at-islamic-event-in-americas-jihad-capital-chant-death-to-america" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rally in question</a>, which took place in Dearborn, Michigan, featured a speaker named Tarek Bazzi, who is affiliated with the Hadi Institute. He said: &#8220;We have been asked in the past why our protests on the International Al-Quds Day are so anti-America. Why don’t we just focus on Israel and not talk so much about America? Gaza has shown the entire world why their protests are so anti-America. Because it’s the United States government that provides the funds for all of the atrocities that we just heard about.&#8221;
Attendees at the rally responded to him by shouting, &#8220;Death to America!&#8221; and &#8220;Death to Israel!&#8221;
Vaughn approached Tlaib in a hallway on Capitol Hill, asking several times whether She would respond to the chants. At first, the Michigan Congresswoman said she wouldn&#8217;t talk to anyone from Fox.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Rep. Rashida Tlaib lost it at Fox Business&#39; <a href="https://twitter.com/hillary__vaughn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hillary__vaughn</a> who asked if she condemns the &quot;death to America&quot; chants at a rally in her district.
The White House condemned the chants in a statement to <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyCaller?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DailyCaller</a> <a href="https://t.co/h00Vss0DLa">pic.twitter.com/h00Vss0DLa</a>
&mdash; Nicole Silverio (@NicoleMSilverio) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleMSilverio/status/1778422875742957795?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Congresswoman Tlaib —&#8221; Vaughn began, but Tlaib interrupted before she could even get the question out.
&#8220;I don’t talk to Fox News! I don’t talk to Fox News!&#8221; she insisted.
&#8220;At a rally &#8230; in your district —&#8221; Vaughn tried again, but Tlaib pushed back.
&#8220;I’m not talking to Fox News.,&#8221; she said again.
&#8220;People were chanting &#8216;death to America.&#8217; Do you condemn?&#8221; Vaughn asked.
 &#8220;I do not talk to Fox News,&#8221; Tlaib repeated.
&#8220;But do you condemn chants of death to America?&#8221; Vaughn asked once more.
 &#8220;I don’t talk to people that use racist tropes,&#8221; Tlaib said then, suggesting that Vaughn&#8217;s network was guilty of that.
Vaughn pressed again, asking, &#8220;Why can’t you just say whether or not you condemn —&#8221;
But Tlaib interrupted her again, saying, &#8220;Because I don’t talk to Fox News.&#8221;
&#8220;— people chanting &#8216;death to America?'&#8221; Vaughn completed her thought, then asked, &#8220;Why are you afraid to talk to Fox?&#8221;
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&#8220;Fox News is not nice,&#8221; Tlaib claimed. &#8220;Listen, using racist tropes towards my community is what Fox News is about and I don&#8217;t talk to Fox News.&#8221;
Vaughn tried one more tack, noting that some might see the &#8220;death to America&#8221; chants as racist.
&#8220;Is &#8216;death to America&#8217; racist?” Is chanting &#8216;death to America&#8217; racist?&#8221; she asked.
&#8220;Never talk to Fox News,&#8221; Tlaib said again, adding, &#8220;I’m talking about your guys’s racist tropes. You know, you guys are — you guys know exactly what you do. And I know you’re Islamophobic, but you guys gotta go deal with it on your own selves, not going to use me.&#8221;

Students And Loan Activists Rally For The Cancellation Of Student Debt

Tlaib Loses Her Mind On Fox Reporter, Won’t Address ‘Death To America’ Chants In Her District

Tlaib Loses Her Mind On Fox Reporter, Won't Address 'Death To America' Chants In Her District

anti-Israel

Congress

Fox News

Hamas

Islam

Israel

Rashida Tlaib

The Squad

Former President Donald Trump blasted Michigan Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gretchen-whitmer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gretchen Whitmer</a> on Wednesday for paying people to take illegal aliens into their homes.
&#8220;In Michigan, radical left Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer is handing out $500 a month in cash to anyone who accepts illegal aliens into your homes,&#8221; Trump said in a video posted on social media. &#8220;Isn&#8217;t that nice? She&#8217;s calling this scam the &#8216;Newcomer Rental Subsidy.&#8217; In other words, she&#8217;s calling illegal immigrants, many coming from jails, many coming from mental institutions, many are terrorists — she&#8217;s calling them &#8216;newcomers.'&#8221;
&#8220;And it&#8217;s all funded by federal taxpayer dollars distributed by crooked Joe Biden. He&#8217;s the most crooked president we&#8217;ve ever had and he&#8217;s by far the worst president we&#8217;ve ever had,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;In other words, Biden and Whitmer are selecting and stealing your money to give free housing to illegal alien migrants and then asking you to quarter these foreign armies in — that&#8217;s what they are, they&#8217;re armies, they&#8217;re coming in at levels that we&#8217;ve never seen ever in our country before — but quarter these foreign armies in the spare bedroom that you happen to have next to your children.&#8221;
Trump said that it was a terrible idea for people to let unvetted illegal aliens stay in their homes.
&#8220;Biden, Whitmer, and the radical Left Democrats care more about illegal aliens than about American citizens or our military, our vets, they care much more about illegal aliens,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Thanks to their inflation disaster, you can&#8217;t afford to buy a house, you can&#8217;t afford the increase in rent — yet they&#8217;re taking your money and giving it to so called &#8216;newcomers,&#8217; it&#8217;s such a nice name, who illegally charged across our border.&#8221;
&#8220;This is a scandal and this is a disgusting insult to hardworking American taxpayers,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I will end it on day one. And when I take the oath of office, America is going to be strong, powerful, and rich again. When I&#8217;m president, instead of asking you to cram illegal aliens into your homes, I&#8217;ll tell the illegal aliens that they must not come into our country. They have to go back to their homes in their countries.&#8221;
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He said that if he is re-elected, the U.S. will have &#8220;the largest and most efficient deportation effort in the history of our country &#8212; bigger than that of Dwight Eisenhower, a president from a long time ago.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
When I am president, instead of asking you to cram illegal aliens into YOUR homes, I will tell the illegal aliens that they must go back to THEIR homes! <a href="https://t.co/x8BcQrTbxF">pic.twitter.com/x8BcQrTbxF</a>
&mdash; Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamTrump/status/1778199537234194870?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Former President Trump Holds Super Tuesday Election Night Event At Mar-A-Lago

Trump Blasts Governor Whitmer For Paying People To Take Illegal Aliens Into Homes: ‘A Disgusting Insult’

Gretchen Whitmer

White House Press Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/karine-jean-pierre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karine Jean Pierre</a> dodged a question on Tuesday about whether President Joe Biden will release a statement condemning extremist remarks that were made at an Islamic event in Dearborn, Michigan, late last week.
Protesters at International Al-Quds Day <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/protesters-at-islamic-event-in-americas-jihad-capital-chant-death-to-america">event</a> — a day that exists to remind the Islamic world of their opposition to Israel and the U.S. — chanted “death to America!” and “death to Israel!” on the six month anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack on Israel.
Jean-Pierre said that she did not have any intelligence to share about whether officials were concerned about threats to national security involving individuals who participated in the event.
When asked if Biden would release a statement about the incident, which he has often done when it&#8217;s an issue sensitive to Democrats, Jean-Pierre dodged the question.
&#8220;I mean, you&#8217;re hearing from me, right? You&#8217;re asking me a question. I&#8217;m answering it and we&#8217;ve been very vigilant about – or very consistent about denouncing that type of that type of rhetoric,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;Should we see a – should we expect a statement from the president on that?&#8221; the reporter pressed. &#8220;It was a pretty significant display.&#8221;
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Jean-Pierre responded, “I mean, you&#8217;re hearing from me. I think that&#8217;s important. The other part, too, that I do want to be very clear about – you know, peaceful protest is something that the president has also been very, very clear that is important for – to give folks space to peacefully protest, but any type of violent rhetoric, we are going to denounce.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/JacquiHeinrich?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JacquiHeinrich</a>: “Should we see a – should we expect a statement from the President on that? It was a pretty significant display.”
KJP: “I mean, you&#39;re hearing from me. I think that&#39;s important. The other part, too, that I do want to be very clear about – you know, peaceful… <a href="https://t.co/cVk7prsRjb">pic.twitter.com/cVk7prsRjb</a>
&mdash; Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1777808030286991648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Michigan activist Tarek Bazzi, who is affiliated with the Hadi Institute, said at the event in Dearborn: “We have been asked in the past why our protests on the International Al-Quds Day are so anti-America. Why don’t we just focus on Israel and not talk so much about America? Gaza has shown the entire world why their protests are so anti-America. Because it’s the United States government that provides the funds for all of the atrocities that we just heard about.”
“This is why Imam Khomeini, who declared the International Al-Quds Day, this is why he would say to pour all of your chants and all of your shouts upon the head of America,” he continued.
As he spoke, chants of “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” broke out.
“Malcolm X said, and I quote: ‘We live in one of the rottenest countries that has ever existed on this Earth,'&#8221; he added. “It’s not Genocide Joe that has to go, it is the entire system that has to go. Any system that would allow such atrocities and devilry to happen and would support it — such a system does not deserve to exist on God’s earth. So when these fools ask us if Israel has the right to exist … The chant ‘Death to Israel’ has become the most logical chant shouted across the world today.”
He also encouraged young children at the event to repeat the genocidal chant: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Michigan Imam Usama Abdulghani, who is also affiliated with the Hadi Institute, said at the event in Dearborn: “Imam Khomeini recognized that Israel is an evil settler colonialist project. He realized it was a cancer and he established this day.”
“Israel before this, brothers and sisters, was a sacred cow. Nobody could criticize Israel. Everybody was terrified of being anti-Semitic,” he said. “Everybody was afraid of them, but now the people of conscience very openly will criticize Israel. They recognize Israel for what it is. Israel is ISIS, they are Nazis, they are fascists, they are racists. The people of the world now know this.”

White House Media Briefing Held By Karine Jean-Pierre And John Kirby

KJP Dodges When Asked If Biden Will Make Statement Condemning Extremist Remarks From Islamic Rally In Dearborn

Executive

Karine Jean-Pierre

Radical Islamic Terror

The parents of a teenager who shot and killed four Oxford, Michigan, high school students in November 2021 have been sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison each.
The parents, who will not be named per Daily Wire policy, were convicted earlier this year of involuntary manslaughter for failing to prevent their son’s shooting, ABC News <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRNTZ0mPn0E" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. They are the first parents in U.S. history to be convicted and sentenced for crimes related to a mass shooting carried out by their child.
Their child, who was 15 years old when he shot and killed Oxford High School students Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; and Justin Shilling, 17, was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to the murders.
At Tuesday&#8217;s sentencing, families of the victims spoke about their loved ones, with Baldwin’s mother, Nicole Beausoleil, praising her daughter before condemning the shooter’s parents.
“When you knew the gun was missing, you called the police knowing it was your son who took it. I was having family call every hospital describing what (Madisyn) looked like,” Beausoleil said, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/09/us/james-jennifer-crumbley-sentencing/index.html">according to CNN</a>. “When you texted ‘[shooter] don’t do it,’ I was texting Madisyn, ‘I love you please call mom.’”
The shooter’s mother has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-school-shooters-mom-admits-to-sending-dont-do-it-text-says-it-didnt-relate-to-shooting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">maintained</a> that her text to her son was an attempt to keep him from committing suicide after the attack.
Shilling’s father, Craig, said that he lives with “pain, anger, heartache, regret, anxiety, stress” every day as a result of the shooter’s actions.
“Literally every single aspect of my life has been affected by this tragedy,” he said, adding, “The blood of our children is on your hands.”
Shilling’s mother, Jill Soave, suggested the parents could have prevented the shooting.
“If only they had done something, your honor, anything, to shift the course of events on November 30, then our four angels would be here today,” she said, according to CNN.
“It is devastating and heartbreaking that it doesn’t appear that either of you cherished or even wanted your son. But I wholeheartedly wanted and cherished mine,” she added. “You have failed your son, and you have failed us all.”
Prosecutors had asked for 10 to 15 years in state prison for each parent in separate <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/03/us/crumbley-parents-michigan-shooting-prosecutors-sentence/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sentencing memos</a>, saying they showed a “chilling lack of remorse” toward their son’s actions. The shooter’s father went so far as to threaten the prosecutor in multiple jail calls, saying in one, “There will be retribution, believe me.”
Defense attorneys had requested much lighter sentences of less than five years each while asking for credit for time served. The mother’s attorney asked the judge to credit her client with the 27 months she has already served and release her to house arrest at the defense attorney’s home.
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The defense attorney suggested this would allow the mother “to work remotely and begin to rebuild her life” away from the community, saying that she is “hugely distraught and remorseful” about the shooting.
The father’s defense attorney claimed his client has “expressed significant remorse” for the shooting and asked that he be released based on time served, or for him to be sentenced to 43 months in prison but credited for the 27 months he has already served. The father’s defense attorney also suggested a maximum period of probation.
Ultimately, the judge agreed with the prosecution and sentenced the parents to 10 to 15 years.

Oxford School Shooting

Parents Of Michigan School Shooter Sentenced

School Shooting

Democratic lawmakers and political strategists are eyeing the three Midwestern states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — often referred to as the “blue wall” — to deliver a 2024 re-election victory for President Joe Biden.
Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) told <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4577632-democrats-blue-wall-biden/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hill</a> that the blue wall “was critical” in both 2020, when Biden defeated former President Donald Trump, and in 2016 when Trump won over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Stabenow said she believes the president will fare well in her home state of Michigan, along with the other blue wall states, because the Biden administration is “bringing jobs back.”
“Basically, the Biden administration is doing everything that others — including Donald Trump — have talked about but were never really serious about doing,” Stabenow added. “President Biden is aiming right at the middle class: particularly, bringing jobs home. Rebuild America. You tackle costs, you take on the drug companies. Made in America.”
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) echoed Stabenow’s confidence, predicting that Biden would win in all three blue wall states by focusing on the economy, according to The Hill.
“It’s too early to tell for sure, but I think the economy continues to grow, and we’re seeing the MAGA side of the Republican Party clearly making politics, trying to block making things better at the border, solving some of those problems, for political advantage,” said Hickenlooper.
In each of the past four presidential elections, the winner has taken all three blue wall states with Trump, in 2016, being the only Republican to win all three since Ronald Reagan did it in 1984. Currently, Trump leads Biden in Michigan and Wisconsin, according to the <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/elections/president/2024/battleground-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RealClearPolitcs</a> average of polling, and Biden leads by less than one point in Pennsylvania.
Trump leads in each of the other four battleground states, according to the RCP average, but Biden has recently cut into the Republcan’s polling advantage. According to the polling average as of Monday afternoon, Trump takes six of the seven toss-up states, giving him 293 electoral votes to Biden’s 245.
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The Democrats who spoke to The Hill conceded that Biden pulling off wins in Arizona and Georgia would be tough this year, but they believe there’s an open path for the president to win re-election without those two states. If Biden wins Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, along with the other states he’s expected to take, that would give him exactly 270 electoral votes to Trump’s 268.
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“Generally, the most reasonable way to predict future voting behavior is to look at past voting behavior. Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin are all states that, by and large, we’ve done pretty well in over the years — 2016 being the outlier there,” said Democratic strategist Steve Schale, a senior adviser on Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.
Both Biden and Trump have visited Michigan and Wisconsin in recent days, with Trump focusing heavily on the border crisis and Biden narrowing in on his economic agenda, pro-abortion policies, and student debt relief efforts. Abortion will likely remain the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-leaders-push-to-make-abortion-the-pivotal-issue-of-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top issue</a> for the Biden campaign, especially in Michigan, where voters chose to add the right to have an abortion to the State Constitution.
Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-releases-long-awaited-abortion-position-says-policies-should-be-left-to-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released a statement</a> on abortion policy on Monday morning, saying he supports states deciding abortion laws and is against federal abortion limitations.
“My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state,” Trump said.

Biden-Harris

Dems Counting On 3 Battleground States To Deliver 2024 Win For Biden

Pennsylvania

Polls

Wisconsin

Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer slammed former President Donald Trump after he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/every-state-is-now-a-border-state-trump-visits-michigan-to-address-illegal-immigrants-alleged-murder-of-25-year-old-woman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">visited</a> her state on Tuesday to address the murder of 25-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/once-deported-illegal-immigrant-charged-with-murder-in-shooting-death-of-25-year-old-michigan-woman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ruby Garcia</a>, who was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant.
Whitmer appeared on <a href="https://www.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/the-source-with-kaitlan-collins/episodes/7d9f7e52-f162-11ee-8d4d-b38a0f638880" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> with host Kaitlan Collins Tuesday night to discuss a range of issues, including Trump&#8217;s comments on illegal immigration. The former president spoke at a campaign event with law enforcement in Grand Rapids on Tuesday afternoon, where he warned that the ongoing border crisis under President Joe Biden has turned &#8220;every state&#8221; into &#8220;a border state.&#8221;
&#8220;The former president was in Grand Rapids today, and he was capitalizing on a horrible tragedy that happened here,&#8221; Whitmer said. &#8220;There is a family that is grieving the loss of Ruby Garcia, and she was a real person with a real story. And it&#8217;s a horrible story that happened.&#8221;
&#8220;All of that being said, [Trump] came in to perpetrate the continued storyline that he had done everything to keep us safe, which is boloney,&#8221; Whitmer continued. &#8220;We know that under the Trump administration, he actually called me, the governor of Michigan, to ask that we send the National Guard to help with surveillance on the southern border, and we helped him out because he couldn&#8217;t get it done.&#8221;
The Michigan governor also blamed Trump for Congress failing to pass legislation containing certain border and immigration reforms, which Biden had requested be signed into law before he took further action to address the border.
&#8220;He&#8217;s also the reason that the negotiation in Washington, D.C., didn&#8217;t come to fruition. He torpedoed a deal that would&#8217;ve had the strongest border security in decades in this country that President Biden put on the table. He told Republicans to walk away and they did,&#8221; Whitmer said.
Trump had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-brands-bipartisan-border-deal-the-stupid-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">branded</a> the border legislation the &#8220;Stupid Bill&#8221; and said Republicans shouldn&#8217;t vote for it &#8220;unless we get EVERYTHING needed to shut down the INVASION of Millions &amp; Millions of people, many from parts unknown, into our once great, but soon to be great again, Country!” GOP leaders in the House <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-republicans-shoot-down-senate-border-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opposed</a> the bill, arguing that &#8220;it fails in every policy area needed to secure our border and would actually incentivize more illegal immigration.&#8221;
During his Tuesday speech in Michigan, Trump called Whitmer &#8220;a terrible governor,&#8221; who along with Biden, is &#8220;stealing your money to give free housing to illegals and then asking you to quarter these people.&#8221;
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Whitmer responded to Trump&#8217;s criticism, telling Collins that &#8220;those talking points don&#8217;t matter a whole lot to people every day.&#8221;
&#8220;Michiganders are hardworking people. They want leaders who see what they&#8217;re struggling with and work to solve those problems, and that&#8217;s exactly what I will continue to stay focused on, and I know that&#8217;s what President Biden will continue to stay focused on,&#8221; she added.
Republican leaders in Michigan have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-republicans-sound-alarm-on-state-program-potentially-giving-illegal-immigrants-up-to-500-per-month-in-rental-assistance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised concerns</a> about a new &#8220;Michigan Newcomer Rental Subsidy Program&#8221; established by the Whitmer administration that hands out up to $500 a month to refugees and migrants. The GOP lawmakers said the program could be helping people who entered the country illegally pay for housing in the state.
“Gretchen Whitmer’s rent subsidy program makes handouts available to illegals who were caught in the country and then frantically claimed asylum to avoid deportation,” Michigan House Republican Leader Matt Hall told The Daily Wire last week. “The Whitmer administration must come clean about this dubious program to the taxpayers who are paying for it. Michiganders shouldn’t have their dollars taken to reward those who broke our immigration laws.”

Gretchen Whitmer Lashes Out At Trump Following His Michigan Visit Focused On Illegal Immigration

Former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> has gained the endorsement of one of the largest police unions in Michigan as he looks to shore up support in the vital battleground state ahead of the 2024 election.
The Police Officers Association of Michigan (POAM) endorsed Trump after the former president finished making remarks at an event with law enforcement in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Tuesday. POAM President James Tignanelli cited the ongoing border crisis under the Biden administration as a main reason the union was backing Trump for the White House. POAM also endorsed Trump in 2016 and 2020.
&#8220;Why would you expect people to obey the law when millions are rewarded for disobeying it?&#8221; Tignanelli asked before announcing the union&#8217;s endorsement of Trump. &#8220;We need you to make America look great again.&#8221;
“On behalf of 12,000 Law Enforcement people that the Police Officers Association of Michigan represent—We want you to accept our endorsement for President of the United States,” Tignanelli added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Happening Now in Grand Rapids, Michigan…
“On behalf of 12,000 Law Enforcement people that the Police Officers Association of Michigan represent—We want you to accept our endorsement for President of the United States.” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LESM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LESM</a> <a href="https://t.co/hXSnnPp7gW">pic.twitter.com/hXSnnPp7gW</a>
&mdash; Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanScavino/status/1775245142892392679?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The POAM president also discussed Trump&#8217;s presence at the wake of slain NYPD officer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-calls-for-return-to-law-and-order-at-wake-for-slain-ny-police-officer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonathan Diller</a> last month, saying what Trump did &#8220;brought honor to every police officer, every deputy sheriff, every law enforcement officer.&#8221;
&#8220;Wherever we were in this country, when we saw what you did &#8230; that&#8217;s a boost for all of us,&#8221; said Tignanelli.
POAM&#8217;s endorsement came minutes after Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/every-state-is-now-a-border-state-trump-visits-michigan-to-address-illegal-immigrants-alleged-murder-of-25-year-old-woman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">addressed the murder</a> of 25-year-old Ruby Garcia, a Grand Rapids woman who was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant last month. During his remarks on “Biden’s border bloodbath,” Trump discussed how the suspect, Brandon Ortiz-Vite, also 25, was deported under his administration before again entering the U.S. illegally. Garcia’s body was found with multiple gunshot wounds on the side of a highway in late March before Ortiz-Vite was arrested and charged just a few days later.
The former president said he spoke to some of Garcia’s family who are now “left grieving for this incredible young woman.”
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“They said she had just this most contagious laughter, and when she walked into a room, she lit up that room,” Trump added.
Trump argued that the ongoing crisis under Biden means “every state is now a border state, every town is now a border town because Joe Biden has brought the carnage and chaos and killing from all over the world and dumped it straight into our backyards.”
While POAM&#8217;s third endorsement of Trump comes with no surprise, the support of a 12,000-member-strong police union in the vital battleground state of Michigan is another win for the former president who is seeking to ride his current momentum into November. According to the <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/michigan/trump-vs-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RealClearPolitcs average</a> of polling data, Trump leads Biden in Michigan by more than three percentage points. Trump won the state over Hillary Clinton in 2016 before falling to Biden in Michigan in 2020.

Michigan Police Union Endorses Trump After He Blasts Biden At Campaign Event

Michigan Police Union Endorses Trump

Police

Former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Tuesday where he joined law enforcement officers and Republican lawmakers for an event and addressed the murder of 25-year-old Ruby Garcia, who was allegedly killed by a once-deported illegal immigrant last month.
During his remarks on &#8220;Biden&#8217;s border bloodbath,&#8221; Trump discussed how the suspect, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/once-deported-illegal-immigrant-charged-with-murder-in-shooting-death-of-25-year-old-michigan-woman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brandon Ortiz-Vite</a>, also 25, was deported under his administration before returning and again entering the U.S. illegally. Garcia&#8217;s body was found with multiple gunshot wounds on the side of a highway in late March before Ortiz-Vite was arrested and charged just a few days later. The illegal immigrant suspect was also charged with carjacking, illegally carrying a concealed weapon, operating while intoxicated, and driving on a suspended or revoked license, The Midwesterner <a href="https://www.themidwesterner.news/2024/03/illegal-immigrant-charged-in-shooting-death-of-grand-rapids-woman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;We threw him out of the country and Crooked Joe Biden took him back,&#8221; Trump said, referring to Ortiz-Vite, adding, &#8220;The illegal alien charged with Ruby&#8217;s really heinous killing, this is somebody who had many, many arrests, including for some very bad crimes that he committed.&#8221;
&#8220;And he was set loose to roam our streets, and in this case, set loose to roam in Michigan by politicians who are Left and weak and stupid,&#8221; Trump continued.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Trump names people who were killed by illegal immigrants and says:
&quot;I said I will deliver justice for Laken &#8230; and now today I&#39;m adding something. It&#39;s going to be for Laken, and it&#39;s also going to be justice for Ruby.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/rr39Ky7keu">pic.twitter.com/rr39Ky7keu</a>
&mdash; The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) <a href="https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1775239459300127049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The former president said he spoke to some of Garcia&#8217;s family who are now &#8220;left grieving for this incredible young woman.&#8221;
&#8220;They said she had just this most contagious laughter, and when she walked into a room, she lit up that room,&#8221; Trump added.
He then referred to Georgia nursing student <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-addresses-laken-riley-murder-during-news-conference-at-border-says-he-spoke-with-her-devastated-parents" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Laken Riley</a>, who was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant in February while out on a run near the college campus, saying that Riley and Garcia are two more lives lost due to the border crisis.
Trump argued that the ongoing crisis under Biden means &#8220;every state is now a border state, every town is now a border town because Joe Biden has brought the carnage and chaos and killing from all over the world and dumped it straight into our backyards.&#8221;
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Trump: &quot;Under Crooked Joe Biden every state is now a border state, every town is now a border town because Joe Biden has brought the carnage and chaos and killing from all over the world and dumped it straight into our backyards.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/0V3kfhIPo6">pic.twitter.com/0V3kfhIPo6</a>
&mdash; The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) <a href="https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1775237099093987786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Trump has made immigration the main issue of his 2024 campaign as he seeks to defeat President Biden in a rematch of the 2020 election. Michigan, a state Biden <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-michigan.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took</a> by nearly three percentage points in 2020, is one of seven vital battleground states where Trump currently leads in the polls, according to the <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/elections/president/2024/battleground-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RealClearPolitics</a> average.

‘Every State Is Now A Border State’: Trump Visits Michigan To Address Illegal Immigrant’s Alleged Murder Of 25-Year-Old Woman

Trump Visits Michigan To Address Murder Of Woman Allegedly Committed By Illegal Immigrant

Kent County, Michigan, Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young is attempting to clarify her department’s policy on holding illegal immigrants for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after a murder allegedly committed by an illegal immigrant rocked the community last month.
The Republican sheriff sent multiple letters to the <a href="https://cis.org/Map-Sanctuary-Cities-Counties-and-States">Center for Immigration Studies</a> (CIS) last week, asking the think tank to remove Kent County from its list of “sanctuary” cities, counties, and states across the U.S. The letter — obtained by The Daily Wire — attempted to “clarify” the department’s “policy regarding ICE hold requests.”
The department’s effort comes days after a once-deported illegal immigrant was arrested and charged with the murder of 25-year-old Ruby Garcia. ICE <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/once-deported-illegal-immigrant-charged-with-murder-in-shooting-death-of-25-year-old-michigan-woman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a> in a statement to The Daily Wire last week that Brandon Ortiz-Vite, also 25, was deported under the Trump administration in 2020 and then re-entered the U.S. unlawfully “at an unknown date.”
LaJoye-Young wrote in a letter to CIS, “1. As in any case, the individual may be held on a judicial warrant signed by a judge or magistrate; OR 2. The hold can be upon request by ICE, with review and approval by the Office of the Sheriff or Correctional Facility Captain.”
“An I-247 request, signed by an authorized immigration officer, and a I-200 administrative Warrant for Arrest of Alien signed by authorized immigration officer with the ‘Certificate of Service’ portion completed must be received for the inmate,” the letter added. “Departmental review confirms that the requisite authority to detain is in place.”
Following the letter, CIS said it would take Kent County off its “sanctuary” list, NBC affiliate WOODTV <a href="https://www.woodtv.com/news/kent-county/think-tank-says-it-will-take-kent-county-off-sanctuary-list/amp/">reported</a>.
The latest letter from LaJoye-Young appeared to be a shift in policy from just a few years ago when the sheriff said her department would no longer hold illegal immigrants without a judicial warrant. In January 2019 during the Trump administration, the Kent County Sheriff’s Department told ICE it would not abide by its detainer requests unless the agency obtained a warrant. In many jurisdictions, authorities will hold illegal immigrants upon a simple detainer request from ICE until federal agents arrive.
&#8220;My primary goal remains the preservation and enhancement of public safety, due process and the rule of law,&#8221; LaJoye-Young said in 2019, according to <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/01/18/kent-county-sheriff-immigrants-ice-jilmar-ramos-gomez-marine-citizen/2618711002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Detroit Free Press</a>. &#8220;For this reason, I notified ICE officials earlier today that the Kent County Sheriff will hold detainees for ICE only after ICE presents to our office an arrest warrant issued by a federal judge or magistrate — otherwise known as a judicial arrest warrant. This change is effective immediately.&#8221;
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Months later, then-President Donald Trump slammed Kent County, calling it a “sanctuary” for illegal immigrants. LaJoye-Young responded to Trump’s criticism, saying he was “dramatically misrepresenting&#8221; the sheriff department’s policy, MLive <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/12/president-trump-references-kent-county-while-bashing-sanctuary-cities-during-michigan-rally.html?outputType=amp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
In another letter LaJoye-Young sent to CIS last week, the sheriff, along with County Administrator/Controller Al Vanderberg, wrote, “Kent County is not and has never been a sanctuary county.”
“In 2019, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) instituted a new policy requiring an arrest warrant issued by a federal judge or magistrate (judicial warrant) in order to hold detainees for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the adjudication of local charges. After this policy change, ICE elected not to renew our contract,” the letter stated.
The department’s apparent shift back to respecting detainer requests from ICE after the 2019 policy also comes as Trump visits Grand Rapids, Michigan, for an event Tuesday afternoon where he is expected to discuss illegal immigration and address the murder of Garcia.
The Kent County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement to The Daily Wire that the county &#8220;is not and has never been a sanctuary county.&#8221;
The department added that the warrant requirements adopted in 2019 and then ICE subsequently terminating its contract with the county &#8220;resulted in an internal procedural change in January 2020&#8221; after the department conducted a review.
&#8220;The new procedures effective January 2020 state that KCSO will maintain custody of an ICE detainee that has no active local charges when a judicial warrant exists OR with the use of an ICE 247 and ICE 200 with the review of the [KCSO] Correctional Facility Captain or the Office of the Sheriff,&#8221; the Kent County Sheriff&#8217;s Office said. &#8220;The new procedures simply added stipulations related to the internal review to ensure all proper documentation exists to hold the detainee.&#8221;
Republicans in Michigan have <a href="https://gophouse.org/posts/rep-cavitt-calls-for-action-on-plan-to-prohibit-sanctuary-cities-in-michigan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposed</a> legislation that would put an end to so-called sanctuary policies and prohibit municipalities from preventing local law enforcement&#8217;s cooperation with federal agencies on issues pertaining to illegal immigration. Republican Leader Matt Hall — who represents part of Kalamazoo County, which is just south of Kent County — told The Daily Wire that Kent County’s apparent policy shift on cooperating with ICE “moves in the right direction,” and he called on other “sanctuary jurisdictions” to follow suit.
“The Kent County sheriff’s newly described policy allowing cooperation with ICE administrative detainers moves in the right direction for the safety and security of local residents,” Hall said in a statement. “Other sanctuary jurisdictions in Michigan, such as Kalamazoo County, should reevaluate and remove their own misguided sanctuary policies that restrict cooperation with the officers who enforce our nation’s immigration laws.”
This article has been updated to include comment from the Kent County Sheriff&#8217;s Office.

Migration Crisis United States

Michigan Sheriff Pushes Back Against ‘Sanctuary County’ Label After Illegal Immigrant Charged With Murder

Michigan Sheriff Pushes Back Against 'Sanctuary County' Label After Illegal Immigrant Charged With Murder

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Murder

Sheriff

Republican leaders in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/michigan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan</a> are raising concerns about a new program established by Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration that hands out up to $500 a month to refugees and migrants, whom many on the Left are now calling “newcomers.” The GOP lawmakers said the program could be helping people who entered the country illegally pay for housing in the state.
The “<a href="https://www.michigan.gov/ogm/-/media/Project/Websites/ogm/Newcomer-Rental-Subsidy/Newcomer-Rental-Subsidy-NRS-Program-Summary.pdf?rev=47a14095789744b592698549c0afa19f&amp;hash=152E8DB0EDCEBAD84D80166173CF668A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan Newcomer Rental Subsidy Program</a>” was launched last year by the Office of Global Michigan (OGM), which is partnering with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). The program’s <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/ogm/services/newcomer-rental-subsidy?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> says it offers assistance to refugees asylees, Special Immigration Visa (SIV), victims of human trafficking, Cuban and Haitian entrants, Afghan Nationals, and Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees.
Republican state leaders say that illegal immigrants facing deportation proceedings could potentially benefit from the program. Michigan House Republican Leader Matt Hall and state Rep. Joe Aragona, the Republican vice chair of the Housing Subcommittee, wrote a letter to OGM Director Poppy Sias-Hernandez earlier this week, requesting more information on what the housing subsidy program entails and who is receiving the state funds.
“Gretchen Whitmer’s rent subsidy program makes handouts available to illegals who were caught in the country and then frantically claimed asylum to avoid deportation,” Michigan House Republican Leader Matt Hall said in a statement to The Daily Wire. “The Whitmer administration must come clean about this dubious program to the taxpayers who are paying for it. Michiganders shouldn’t have their dollars taken to reward those who broke our immigration laws.”
The Daily Wire has reached out to Whitmer’s office for comment.
Migrants who cross the border illegally are often considered “asylum seekers” after filing <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-and-asylum/asylum/obtaining-asylum-in-the-united-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defensive claims</a> upon entering the U.S. In fiscal year 2023 alone, over 474,000 defensive claims were <a href="https://www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1344871/dl?inline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a>, and there are currently over one million claims pending, according to the Justice Department.
The Michigan Republicans’ concerns about the rental subsidy program were heightened when an illegal immigrant, who had been deported in 2020, re-entered the country and was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/once-deported-illegal-immigrant-charged-with-murder-in-shooting-death-of-25-year-old-michigan-woman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> earlier this week for allegedly murdering a 25-year-old woman in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed in a statement to The Daily Wire on Tuesday that Brandon Ortiz-Vite, 25, re-entered the U.S. unlawfully “at an unknown date … without inspection by an immigration official.” He was arrested after Ruby Garcia was found dead last Friday on the side of a road from apparent gunshot wounds.
To qualify for rental assistance, applicants must be at or below 60% of Area Median Income, receive federal assistance, and be “experiencing housing instability,” according to <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/ogm/services/newcomer-rental-subsidy?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OGM</a>. Those accepted into the program can receive monthly help with housing, ranging from $300 for an individual up to $500 for a family of six or more.
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MSHDA says those receiving assistance must show all available documentation of “earned and unearned income for household members that live in the same household that are age 18 or older.” Income can still be verified, however, as long as the enrollee submits a written explanation of why there is no documentation, such as being paid in cash.
House Republican Leader Hall told The Daily Wire that the program could benefit &#8220;those who broke into our borders.”
“Americans watch with horror as Democrats respond with carelessness to our border crisis — a humanitarian disaster that resulted in a murder right here in Michigan,” Hall said. “Joe Biden refuses to secure the border and faithfully execute our laws. Gretchen Whitmer is offering taxpayer-funded benefits to those who broke into our borders. Sanctuary cities and counties shield illegals from immigration officials. These politicians must stop aiding and abetting illegal aliens and get serious about securing our border and keeping people safe.”

Michigan Republicans Sound Alarm On State Program Potentially Giving Illegal Immigrants Up To $500 Per Month In Rental Assistance

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