First appearance on Fox: Under the terms of a bill introduced Thursday by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), nonprofits that help illegal immigrants would be cut off from federal funding.
“NGOs and nonprofits are serving as a stepping stone to the Biden-Harris administration's mass immigration policies by helping undocumented immigrants cross the border and stay in the country for years after entering the country illegally,” Gaetz said. said in a statement exclusively previewed by FOX News Digital. “My bill, the Barriers Act, would strip these organizations of federal funding that could be used to assist people who violate federal law.”
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Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) (Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
The bill that Gates plans to introduce on Thursday, the “Removal of Assistance and Resources to Restrict Illegal Entry and Residence (BARRIER) Act,'' is being co-sponsored by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Rep. Mary Miller (R-Colo.). (Illinois), and Congressman Eric is a co-sponsor. Missouri Republican Burleson, Texas Republican Randy Webber, Texas Republican Troy Neals, Tennessee Republican Andy Ogles, Arizona Republican Andy Biggs.
The Florida Republican said his barrier law would also penalize groups that support immigrants already in the U.S. illegally.
“The federal government should not be funding the destruction of its own country,” said Gaetz, who is running for re-election to a fifth term in Congress.
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Texas National Guard soldiers watch over 1,000 migrants cross the Rio Grande from Mexico in Eagle Pass on December 18, 2023. (John Moore/Getty Images)
If enacted, immigration organizations such as the National Immigration Law Center, American Immigration Council, and CASA would likely lose federal funding.
Illegal immigration and the crisis at the southern border are top issues for voters this election cycle. Tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants convicted of sex crimes or murder could be left running loose on the streets, according to data provided to lawmakers last week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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Border Patrol agents guide migrants to vans that will transport them to a processing center in Eagle Pass, Texas, on February 4, 2024. (Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images)
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The Biden administration came under fire for releasing many migrants who came to the U.S. border into the interior, but it also did so because of its focus on prioritizing public safety and national security threats. This coincided with a sharp decline in deportations. The number of expulsions in fiscal year 2023 was 142,580, a significant increase from 72,177 in fiscal year 2022 and 59,011 in fiscal year 2021, but down from 267,258 in fiscal year 2019, which was the highest under the Trump administration. It is still small in comparison.
Meanwhile, the number of undetained illegal immigrants has skyrocketed from 3.7 million in fiscal year 2021 to nearly 4.8 million in fiscal year 2022 and more than 7 million in fiscal year 2023.
Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
