Has $2.5 billion in American tax dollars been allocated to an immigrant ‘welcoming center’?
It is unclear what the claim is referring to, but there’s no evidence a multi-billion dollar center to welcome migrants is in the works.
The infrastructure bill the Senate passed with bipartisan support does include funding for border infrastructure projects, though.
Specifically, the bill gives the General Services Administration funding for “construction and acquisition, and repairs and alterations of border stations and land ports of entry,” and allocates $2.5 billion toward U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s five-year plan.
But CBP confirmed the projects do not include any “welcoming center.” CBP sent the AP a statement noting, “There is no truth to that rumor.”
Instead, the bill funds a range of infrastructure improvement projects at land ports of entry, including repairs, expansion and modernization of border facilities that, in some cases, have not been updated in decades.