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"There was an audible gasp, a bipartisan gasp," Senator Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) recounted. "I could take a luxurious Caribbean cruise every day of the year for a lower total cost. I cannot fathom why the spartan accommodations we are providing for these people should cost so much."

It would be cheaper to ship them back to their countries of origin ... in First Class!!!

Life inside the beltway might just as well be life at Disney World. These politicians are clueless about the ramifications of big government.

This is not John's famous semi-satire---but would make good fodder for his rollicking pieces.

DEBLOBIO STRIKES AGAIN: NY City launches program to help Queens trafficking victims come out of the shadows
NY Daily News ^ | July 17, 2014 | ELI ROSENBERG / FR Posted EinNYC

Human trafficking victims now have another reason to come out of the darkness. The city will provide foreign-born sex trafficking victims in Queens free lawyers to help them navigate available pathways to citizenship, officials announced Thursday.

Six pro-bono attorneys will be on hand at Queens Family Justice Center in Kew Gardens, for one day a week, as part of a pilot program launched through the Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence and advocacy groups. The lawyers will determine if undocumented victims qualify for asylum or visas — available to some who agree to help law enforcement find traffickers or other perpetrators.

It's an important part of preventing future crimes, advocates say. "The lack of immigration status leaves so many immigrants vulnerable to trafficking," said Melissa Brennan, an attorney with nonprofit Sanctuary for Families, which helped create the pilot. "Victims often feel if they go to police, they will be deported," she added. "We're empowering them with the knowledge that this is not the case."

Queens is a hotbed in the city for various forms of trafficking, advocates say. More than 56% of citywide sex trafficking victims have sought services in the borough, city officials said. ####