House GOP Panel Probes NGO Funding for Immigrant Support

In Washington, a House Republican committee is reaching out to over 200 non-governmental organizations that have received billions in taxpayer dollars to assist U.S. immigrants under President Joe Biden’s administration.

Among those targeted is a group involved in recent protests against ICE actions in Los Angeles.

Mark Green, the Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, along with Josh Breechen, the subcommittee Chairman, sent letters to 217 organizations on Tuesday. They accused these groups of “promoting the worst border crisis in our country’s history.”

Green, a leading Republican figure, suggested that these organizations are creating a “pull factor” by providing services like transportation, translation, and housing for immigrants, many of whom entered the country illegally.

“The committee is very concerned that NGOs benefitting from taxpayer money are thriving due to the border crisis initiated by the Biden administration and could continue to do so under future Democratic administrations,” they noted, pointing to a lack of accountability in how funds were utilized.

Additionally, they mentioned an ongoing investigation into whether the funding has contributed to “trafficking and smuggling” operations or if NGOs are advising illegal immigrants on how to evade law enforcement.

One of the groups under scrutiny is the Coalition of Humanitarian Immigration Rights (Chirla), which has received nearly $1 million from DHS since 2021 for citizenship guidance and naturalization services. This funding was cut off by the Trump administration in March.

On Thursday, Chirla organized a rally denouncing ICE arrests in Los Angeles, criticizing actions that led to significant protests and federal law enforcement interventions.

A Chirla representative previously stated they did not participate in the protests beyond press conferences and rallies, and the organization did not respond to requests for comments.

The city’s ICE efforts have focused on removal procedures, particularly targeting convicted sexual offenders, drug traffickers, and gang members, according to DHS officials.

Another entity being investigated is Southwest Key, which is significant for housing unaccompanied immigrant children. This organization has received around $3 billion in taxpayer funding from Biden’s Health and Human Services.

The top executives of Southwest Key have seen their salaries rise significantly, from $420,000 to $720,000, between 2021 and 2023.

The Justice Department initiated a lawsuit against Southwest Key in July 2024, alleging severe incidents of sexual abuse against children at their facilities from 2015 to 2023. This lawsuit was dropped in March 2025, coincidentally when Trump’s HHS stopped the organization’s federal funding.

Southwest Key has strongly denied any allegations of child abuse, though they did not comment on this matter when approached.

From February 2021 through January 2025, over 550,000 immigrant children entered the U.S., with at least 291,000 released to sponsors, among whom several have been flagged as sex offenders or gang members.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, around 2.4 million immigrants have entered the U.S. each year between 2021 and 2024, with Goldman Sachs analysis indicating that about 60% crossed the border illegally.

Various DHS agencies, including ICE and FEMA, have coordinated with NGOs offering services to non-residents, as per a report from the government’s Accountability Office.

In March 2023, an audit by the DHS Inspector General disclosed that “more than half” of FEMA funds allocated to NGOs lacked proper documentation.

Greene previously criticized $81 million in what he termed “illegal” funds intended for covering immigrants’ stays in upscale New York City hotels.

Conservative immigrant advocacy groups have estimated that the surge of immigrants has cost New York City residents around $10 billion, possibly reaching up to $150 billion in costs to U.S. taxpayers in 2023.

Greene has initiated efforts to hold former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas accountable, alleging that he misled Congress about border safety.

The Republicans are requesting detailed records of federal grants and payments made to NGOs between January 19, 2021, and January 20, 2025. They also want to know if these organizations have engaged in lawsuits against the federal government and what services they provided to immigrants.

Influential liberal organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, and the Southern Poverty Law Center have been summoned to respond to these inquiries.