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With no projected end to the chaos of illegal immigration, some Congressional Republicans have decided to confront the religious agencies aggravating the problem at the Mexican border — including Catholic Charities, which plays a pivotal role in that chaos, as FrontPage Magazine reported.
Even conservative Catholics organized to oppose their church’s support of open borders. The Deposit of Faith Coalition held a press conference July 20 in Washington, D.C. to demand that Congress stop giving funds for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The website Church Militant, one of the members, calls the coalition “a group of about a dozen Catholic or Catholic-led outfits.”
The coalition’s press conference represents growing public opposition to the Biden “Administration’s” apathy and religious agencies’ social irresponsibility.
In December, Texas Republican Rep. Lance Gooden, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, asked Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a letter for “immediate access to all records and communication relating to your department’s border practices and regulations.”
The letter accused DHS of “allowing non-governmental organizations the freedom to aid and abet illegal aliens.” Two other Republicans, Wisconsin Rep. Tom Tiffany, another committee member, and Texas Rep. Jake Ellzey signed the letter.
Gooden also sent letters to Catholic Charities, Jewish Family Services and the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Gooden accused those agencies of “violating federal law and regulation, placing migrants and American communities at risk, and subjecting local communities to unreasonable burdens.”
As a result, Gooden wrote, Congress would investigate those agencies, which must preserve records of federal reimbursement for food, shelter, transportation, medical care and “various supportive services.”
“Taxpayers should not be subsidizing any organization facilitating the movement of illegal immigrants across our border,” Gooden wrote. “When NGO’s transport unauthorized aliens into the nation’s interior, it becomes increasingly difficult for federal immigration enforcement agencies to monitor their whereabouts and protect our communities.”
Mayorkas failed to comply so Gooden repeated his request in a second letter May 15. This time, the co-signers were California Rep. Tom McClintock, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement, and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
Then in a Congressional hearing July 26, Gooden confronted Mayorkas in person.
“Countless non-government organizations provide ways and means to illegal immigrants to cross the border and stay here indefinitely,” Gooden said. “Many of these are actively encouraging and enticing poor illegal immigrants to cross our borders with the promise of assistance. They promise to provide financial, logistical and transportation assistance in the form of money, food and lodging, and transportation to anywhere in the country.
“I’ve seen this with my own eyes. I’ve been to these organizations’ facilities at our borders. They are sending out the message that the border is open and will provide assistance. Their help comes even with legal guidance and cheat sheets for what to do when they get to wherever it is they’d like a free plane ticket to.”
Two weeks before Gooden’s second letter, on May 2, Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart sponsored a border security bill that included provisions to eliminate FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program, which helps migrants awaiting resolution of their status and received $800 million for this year. In March, a report from the Office of the Inspector General found that 18 local agencies in four states misused $12.9 million they received under the program and failed to provide records for $7.4 million of that total.
The USCCB responded with a campaign to oppose Diaz-Balart’s bill, even providing pre-written letters for Catholics to send to Congress. But the Republican-led House passed the bill, which awaits its reception in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
If passed, the bill could dramatically decrease religious agencies’ share of federal immigration funding. For example, as FrontPage Magazine reported, Catholic agencies received $3.053 billion between 2008 and 2022. During that period, Catholic Charities collected $1.86 billion, while the USCCB got $1.113 billion in direct federal grants, the fifth largest total among all agencies. From that $1.113 billion, the USCCB gave $586 million to Catholic Charities.
The USCCB not only distributes the funds to Catholic agencies. It uses the money to finance dioceses and to compensate for funds lost in settling cases of clerical sex abuse. Complicit Clergy, a Catholic website, noted that the $3 billion in federal funds received matches the amount lost in those settlements.
To keep the money coming, various agencies actively encourage migrants to enter the United States illegally, even to the point of guiding large caravans to the border, as FrontPage reported. “The Catholic ‘Underground Railroad’ of migrant safe houses that extend across Central America, through Mexico, and up to and into the U.S. is a well-oiled machine,” wrote Michelle Malkin, a Catholic.
While investigating the role NGOs play in human smuggling, the Heritage Foundation found through geofencing that Catholic Charities, at its facility in San Juan, Texas, used nearly 3,400 separate mobile phones to link anonymous contacts in 433 of the nation’s 435 Congressional districts.
Among the migrants are children, including many who arrive without parents or guardians. As a result, the Unaccompanied Alien Children Program has received more direct federal grants than any other federal immigration. In 2022, Catholic agencies received about $97 million of the $2.709 billion allocated to the program.
Yet many of those children become targets for sexual predators and traffickers who also enter the United States illegally. Project Veritas discovered 44 children living at one address and another 25 at a separate address. One 16-year old admitted to being pimped by her so-called aunt.
Elizabeth Yore, former general counsel for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and a conservative Catholic, called Catholic Charities “probably the number one or two NGO that is handling the trafficking of children,” she said. “Sexual predators go where vulnerable children are. You can’t tell me that there aren’t hundreds, if not thousands, of sexual predators who are posing as sponsors for these vulnerable children.”
In a May letter to his Congressional colleagues, Gooden specifically accused Catholic Charities of failing “to verify how the organization ensures migrant children are in safe hands” and acting “to secretly transport and lodge undocumented immigrants.”
At the July 26 hearing, Gooden expressed his frustration to Mayorkas with his and other parties’ refusal to answer questions.
“I have requested for over two years this information from Homeland Security,” Gooden said. “I’ve requested this information from Catholic Charities, Jewish Family Services, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, FEMA, three different airlines and even hotels. Each request has gone unanswered.
“I’m really disappointed that I can’t get answers to those questions. I can’t even get acknowledgement from you about what’s happening there when you’ve stated that you’re partners with these organizations.”
While asking his colleagues to support investigations, Gooden criticized religious agencies’ tactic of using guilt to intimidate critics asking legitimate questions.
“Instead of working to address this issue together, non-profits have refused to cooperate with Congressional requests for information and other documents,” he wrote. “Heads of religious organizations attacked me, my colleagues, and our conservative constituents as those who only ‘call themselves Christians’ and fail to remember that ‘the gospel compels us’ to aid migrants.”
But Gooden dismissed that manipulative rhetoric, which supports a facade of phony compassion that disguises the arrogant rejection of accountability.
“By facilitating the mass inflow of illegal immigrants,” Gooden wrote, “NGOs risk our national security and expose migrants to exploitation through abusive labor practices, human trafficking, and smuggling.”
Yet if it means more public money for these private organizations, why should they care?
At last!
I would like to give respect to Ann Corcoran, who long told of this in her Refugee Resettlement Watch newsletter before it was taken down by her server for unknown violations of terms of service (of the small print).
Ann Corcoran absolutely deserves the respect, admiration and appreciation of every law-abiding citizen. Thank you for your well deserved tribute to this outstanding patriot.
Ann Corcoran was way ahead of her time when it came to the “immigration” scam of allowing millions of illegal, alien, barbarian invaders into our country.
Looks like her work has been pretty much scrubbed from the internet by the censors.
This is far bigger than America. It’s a world wide issue that the United Nations is coordinating to overthrow western democracies with their “equity” they will justify their actions by claiming to raise up the fake refugees when in reality they are lowering down the western world.
Sustainable development goals.
The now dead site immigrationwatch.com monitored these opportunists for a decade. She sounded the alarm without avail.
Why do Republicans like Rep. Golden try for two years to get simple answers to their questions? When his letter(s) are not answered by the required date he should be in court demanding a reply. Alternatively, he could submit articles of impeachment against Mayorkis. What is going on is just a stall while 10,000 – 15,000 illegals pour into the country illegally every day
To describe one Party is to describe both. Their goals and agenda are the same and neither benefit the law-abiding citizens who are forced to pay their salaries.
Why does it take two years to receive a replies? You are correct – it is a stall and it is a thinly veiled game politicians play that is obvious to anyone with an IQ higher than their shoe size.
It’s just words. Lindsey Graham is the best at it. Sound tough so the constituents re-elect you, but then don’t really do anything about it. Or talk tough only when you know nothing can be done.
These corrupted understand the shortcomings of the voter. Half or more of all voters are clueless. Hence, they fall for the shallow ads of the Dems/leftists. Just look at almost any large city and one will acquire understanding of our problem.
I had no idea we have a shortage of people in this country. Especially a shortage of young men of military age who do not speak English, read or write in any language, and have no 21st Century skills. That seems to be the folks these agencies are bringing us. along with a smattering of pregnant women ready to deliver anchor babies. These ethno-masochists seem dedicated to destroying their own families, along with Wester Civilization. Sad…
21st century skills? Many have not even acquired the skills most Indians had acquired shortly after first contact with Europeans. These guys are far behind Western civilization but they don’t care; they just want to grab the shiny toys it provides.
“Gooden also sent letters to Catholic Charities, Jewish Family Services and the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.”
The letters won’t do squat. Obviously they will be ignored as did DHS. These religious organizations must be subpoenaed with the threat that funding will be cut off. But it won’t end until we have a real administration in ’24.
Even if these orgs comply and show up to be deposed, nothing will be done until Merrik Garland is forced out and arrested for his crimes.
In 15-months hopefully we can vote in a decent prez and he will select a decent AG. Then, the next four years must be spent cleaning house throughout the fed gov including passing law to remove church no tax status. These churches are mere business making profit off the fed gov as contractors inputting illegal aliens. They are violating our immigration law.
We hope. When Philip of Macedon sent a series of graphic threats to the Spartans that began with, “If we conquer your country…” the Spartans replied with one word: “If.” Similarly, IF we get a decent administration in place in fifteen months, we will be able to accomplish all manner of good things, provided we triage the current situation intelligently. But it’s a pretty big if, given all of the corruption and illegality trying to stop us.
I grew up in a Baptist community. Every year the Baptist community raised funds for missionary work. Groups of volunteers would go to poor and impoverished, needy countries to teach methods for improved farming, irrigation, building methods and other improvements to help these poor communities to better themselves and become more prosperous….in their own countries. The volunteers would set up schools and medical clinics that taught both young and old. The missions were based on the biblical principle of “give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he is fed for the rest of his life” (please pardon my paraphrasing). To best help a neighbor, aid him in fixing his own house as opposed to letting him live in yours while his falls into rack and ruin.
end all tax exemptions for the political party known as CATHOLIC
1000 upvotes, sir.
the CA CATHOLIC church as been instrumental in aiding the invasion of open borders CA, now a colony of Mexico and cartel landhold
CUT AND PASTE YOUTUBE LINKS
How Cartels Took Over California’s Desert and Turned It to Lawless Land | Dawn Rowe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX21ldNfefA
The churches are taking fed funds to help the illegal aliens enter here. They counsel illegal aliens of their “rights” for welfare and fed assistance programs. They run ads in Mexico advising illegal aliens how to enter and of their “rights” once they set foot in America. These churches are not so much religious institutions as they are business contractors with the fed gov in order to enhance their business leader goals. At minimum, any church who contracts with the fed gov should lose their tax-free status since they moved into an area of politics and business. They no longer are religious institutions by definition of their agenda.
Riddle me this… Why when I see in this photo of many many Negroes from Haiti and Africa etc sneaking into a country that the American Negroes themselves claim is systematically racist as that somehow makes zero sense to me, but then common sense aint too common these days.
Are all these Negroes entering America illegally better educated than the Negroes in Harlem, Chicago, Detroit,LA, SF, as that would not take much of a stretch as most blacks in America seem to be unable to read and write at a 8th Grade level today..
Why would any person of a certain Race wish to enter a country that they heard despises them.
The Catholic Church also teaches 3rd world countries to not use birth control, so they are at the beginning and the end of this invasion of America. And yes I used to follow Ann Corcoran on her WordPress site before they censored her. This federal funding of religions violating our national sovereignty is one story they definitely want silenced.
Texas has the right idea lets send them all to sanctuary cities to live