Whitmer faces backlash for controversial program helping migrants after illegal immigrant charged with murder

Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is facing intensified heat from critics over her state’s “newcomer rental subsidy” giving up to $500 to landlords that rent to migrants following the alleged murder of a woman by an illegal immigrant in Michigan.

“Many refugees and other newcomers face critical housing challenges, and this program will increase access to better and more affordable housing opportunities while supporting a more rapid social integration to refugees and other newcomer populations to Michigan,” Michigan’s state website states regarding the program that was reported on this week by The Midwesterner.

The website explains that the Newcomer Rental Subsidy program “provides Refugees and other Newcomer population-eligible households with rental assistance up to $500 per month for up to 12 months, with eligibility based on immigration status and household income.”

In order to be a beneficiary of the program, applicants must have an “eligible immigration status” that includes refugees, asylees, special immigration visa holders, victims of human trafficking, Cuban and Haitian entrants, Afghan nationals, or Ukrainian humanitarian parolees. 

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Migrants at the southern border and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. (Getty Images)

Guidance from the state says that an individual or household can be a part of the program for up to 12 months and that single individual or households with two individuals can receive a credit of $300 per month that rises to up to $500 per month in households of up to six individuals.

Landlords are issued payments through a system known as SIGMA and they have a choice to receive payments electronically or by check. 

“Payments will be made in three-month installments; first payment will be issued upon the application being approved,” the guidance explains. “Additional payments will be made thereafter.”

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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers her State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate on Jan. 24, 2024, at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Whitmer’s critics blasted the program and raised safety concerns in light of several high profile instances of crimes being committed by illegal immigrants including a recent murder in Michigan believed to have been carried out by a man in the United States unlawfully.

“Gretchen Whitmer is enabling Joe Biden’s open border policies by handing out cash to anyone who will take in unvetted illegal immigrants, undoubtedly risking the safety of our neighborhoods and communities,” Tudor Dixon, who ran as a Republican for governor against Whitmer in 2022, told Fox News Digital. 

“After the murder of Ruby Garcia less than a week ago, Whitmer should immediately cancel this program and demand Biden secure the border for the good of Michigan citizens.”

Brandon Ortiz-Vite, an illegal immigrant who was deported to Mexico in 2020, was recently charged with felony murder, open murder, carjacking, carrying a concealed weapon and felony use of a firearm after the body of 25-year-old Ruby Garcia was discovered on U.S. 131 in downtown Grand Rapids earlier this month.

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Brandon Ortiz-Vite, 25, has been charged with killing his girlfriend, Ruby Garcia, who was found with several gunshot wounds on Friday. (Kent County jail / GoFundMe)

“Rather than focus on border security and safe communities, the Whitmer administration appears to be focused on covering up our state’s population loss by subsidizing housing for not only refugees but anyone who has filed an application for asylum, over half of which are routinely rejected,” Michigan GOP State Representative Andrew Fink, who recently sponsored a bill that essentially bans sanctuary cities, told Fox News Digital. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Whitmer’s office multiple times for comment but did not receive a response.

Fox News Digital’s Kyle Morris contributed to this report