It is unacceptable to have veterans living on the streets, hungry, and alone in the very nation they served to protect. Sadly, this is the reality for many veterans in America. Despite being the greatest nation on Earth, we continue to fail the brave men and women who risked their lives for us. It is especially disheartening when we witness shelters, food, and funds readily available for illegal aliens entering the country, while at-risk veterans are being evicted to make room for them.
The recent news that roughly two dozen homeless veterans were kicked out of hotels in New York to accommodate illegal aliens is a prime example of this misplaced priority. Many of these veterans were Vietnam vets who have been forgotten and mistreated by our society for far too long. Nonprofit organizations paid $88 per night to house these veterans, while the city of New York has reportedly paid upwards of $190 per night for each room for migrants. To make matters worse, the veterans were only promised one month of housing, while the migrants will be housed for up to four months at the city’s expense.
The numbers speak volumes about our misplaced priorities. Last month, 234,000 migrants attempted to cross the border illegally, and more than 65,000 have been housed in New York City alone. In comparison, there are about 33,000 homeless veterans in the United States, with New York City having 990 homeless veterans. It is a shameful reality that our country and the Big Apple can’t figure out how to house a significantly smaller number of homeless veterans versus refugees and illegal immigrants.
It’s time to fix the systems built to help our veterans and quit treating them like second-class citizens. Our veterans deserve better than thank-you cards and care packages; they need real solutions to the challenges they face, including mistreatment at VA centers, difficulty receiving earned benefits, unemployment, homelessness, addiction, PTSD, and suicide. It’s time to prioritize and honor their sacrifices by providing them with the care and resources they rightfully deserve.
