Washington State paid out $340 MILLION in Covid relief to ineligible illegal immigrants

A new report has revealed that $340 million was diverted to illegal immigrants from COVID relief funds in Washington state, some being paid in checks of $1,000. 

The report from Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) points to cash that flowed from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF), which received $4.4 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act, and ended up being sent to a program that would send checks of $1,000 to illegal immigrant in the state. The total chunk carved out for the foreign nationals was $340 million.  

The funding was approved by state lawmakers in 2021 and provided "another round of funding for undocumented Washingtonians," according to a report on the program. 

It states, "As in past rounds, this iteration of the Immigrant Relief Fund required targeted community engagement, communications development efforts, and trusted messengers to encourage eligible community members to apply."