Mexican immigrants are financially being helped by the government of Mexico to live illegally in the United States and avoid deportation, according to a report from National Public Radio.
Over the years, the Mexican government has helped fund low-income illegal immigrants through its 50 consulates across the Unites States to receive access to taxpayer funded benefits and services through applying for President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program, or DACA - which shields illegal immigrants from deportation and allows them to work in the U.S. after they have entered the country as minors.
"Our main objective is the well-being of our nationals wherever they are," a spokesman for the Mexican Embassy in Washington stated to NPR.
Since 45 percent of eligible Mexican nationals are unable to take advantage of the DACA program due to the $465-worth fees associated with the process, including obtaining a work permit and collecting fingerprints, the Mexican government seems to have stepped in to provide support as a way to boost participation.
About 260 Mexican illegal immigrants have applied for protection under DACA, since it began in 2012, with the help of the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles, who have allocated $250,000, the report states.
"NPR's report details the story of Tania Guzman, an illegal immigrant who said the cost of applying for DACA worried her, but she was able to afford it after her pro-bono lawyer from Public Counsel told her she could access financial help from the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles," Breitbart reported.
Eventually, Guzman's attorney fees and application fees were paid by the Mexican government, with only $50 being spent from her own account, she told NPR.
Funding is "on a case-by-case basis," Julian Escutia, an official with the Mexican Embassy in Washington, told NPR, adding that they didn't keep records on how many DACA applications were funded for illegal immigrants.
"So what we want for them is that they are successful and really continue contributing to this country [the U.S.]," she told NPR.
The heated political debate surrounding the program is an issue for the U.S. to deal with, Escutia added to NPR.
"We are not entering into the political debate about DACA," he said. "It's one option that is available to our nationals, and if they choose to apply for it, we are certainly happy to help them."
Meanwhile, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services official said it has "no way of knowing where any fees might have originated." Thus, the practice cannot be deemed illegal.
