Unaccompanied Minors Released on Lavish Vacation Spot, Virgin Islands

HOUSTON, Texas — Several unaccompanied minors who entered the U.S. illegally have been relocated to and released where many U.S. citizens cannot afford to bring their own families on vacation: the Virgin Islands. 

Subsequent to being caught illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border, more than 30,000 unaccompanied minors have been released by federal agents in states across the U.S. While the majority of the minors have been set free in large states like Texas, Virginia, and California, a Health and Human Services (HHS) document shows that four were set free in the U.S. Virgin Islands. A spokesman from HHS verified this fact to Breitbart Texas. 

The picturesque Virgin Islands, located in the Caribbean, are a thriving destination for well-to-do tourists. Many could find irony in the fact that most U.S. taxpayers, who are footing the bill to ship illegal immigrants to the tropical paradise, cannot afford to take a vacation there themselves.  

It is unclear why the unaccompanied minors would be released on the Virgin Islands; it takes more than five hours to fly there from McAllen, a border city in South Texas. That is a significantly longer trip than the flight to Central America, where almost all of the minors are migrating from. 

Money appears to be no object for the federal government, with regards to flying illegal immigrants to cities across the U.S. In July Breitbart Texas revealed that the Department of Homeland Security requested $87 million for the transportation of illegal immigrants, who are most often flown via charter plane, for Fiscal Year 2015. 

So far this year, the feds have flown and released illegal immigrants to locations as far as Alaska and Hawaii. 

The released migrants have all been placed with foster families, or “sponsors,” after promising to show up at a future immigration court hearing. As Breitbart Texas previously reported, foster parents for the immigrants can receive up to $7,400 per month in child support payments from the federal government. 

Prior to being released onto U.S. soil, most of the illegal immigrants spend a relatively short amount of time in a federal housing facilities. Some such shelters have recently come under scrutiny for providing the migrants with taxpayer-subsidized luxuries such as all-you-can-eat buffets, flat screen televisions, Internet access, and hair salons. 

Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate.