Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz introduced a bill on Thursday that would defund nongovernmental organizations that offer assistance to illegal immigrants using taxpayer dollars.
Several federal agencies offer grants to nonprofits that assist foreigners with safely entering the country or receiving assistance once they arrive, a phenomenon which Republicans argue incentivizes more illegal immigration. The bill from Gaetz would mandate that any entity which “facilitates the entry of aliens into the United States” or assist any who are present in the country without legal status “in violation of the immigration laws” would be unable to receive federal money.
The bill, which was sponsored by seven other Republicans, was called the “Blocking Assistance and Resources to Restrict Illegal Entry and Residency Act,” also known as the BARRIER Act.
“NGOs and nonprofits serve as the foot soldiers for the Biden-Harris administration’s mass-migration policies by helping illegal aliens cross the border and stay here for years after illegally,” Gaetz remarked in a statement. “My legislation, the BARRIER Act, will strip these organizations of their federal funding, which can be used to assist those who break federal law. The federal government should not be financing the destruction of its own country.”
Republican lawmakers have revealed that federal agencies are indeed misusing funds to encourage further illegal immigration. Kentucky Republican Representative James Comer contended last year that FEMA funds were used “by certain NGOs to offset expenses incurred abroad in efforts to facilitate and incentivize illegal immigration to the United States.”
Staff members at the American Red Cross, for instance, were reportedly reimbursed by FEMA after providing services to illegal aliens without required supporting documentation.
Other reports have likewise detailed nonprofits messaging illegal aliens about the safest routes through Mexico to the southern border as well as neglecting to screen new arrivals for their immigration status. Many major religious nonprofits, such as Catholic Charities, receive as much as half or their total support from the federal government amid their work with illegal aliens.
