As Texas bears the brunt of historic levels of unlawful migration, non-governmental organizations are receiving tens of millions in taxpayer funds to assist and support migrant caravans in countries south of the border.
As reported by The Dallas Express, the federal government doles out large amounts of taxpayer dollars to NGOs that use the funds to assist migrants traveling to the United States’ southern border.
One of these organizations, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), works in many countries around the world, including those in the pivotal regions of South and Central America. The organization uses American taxpayer money to assist migrants through Mexico, many of whom will eventually cross into the United States.
“Originally set up by Jews to help fellow Jews for reasons of religious imperative and communal solidarity, HIAS in the 2020s is a multi-continent, multi-pronged humanitarian aid and advocacy organization with thousands of employees dedicated to helping forcibly displaced persons around the world in keeping with the organization’s Jewish ethical roots,” the organization states on its website.
HIAS expanded its reach to Latin America in the early 2000s, pivoting from its original focus of aiding in the relocation of forcibly displaced Jewish populations. “Working with hundreds of government, corporate, and other partners, HIAS now helps more than a million people each year around the world,” the organization’s website states.
According to the most recently released financial statements, “The most significant source of HIAS’s revenue are grants from the U.S. Government.”
In 2021 alone, the group received more than $40 million in taxpayer funds, representing around a third of its total budget.
In addition to receiving government aid, HIAS receives money from international mega-corporations such as Cisco, Airbnb, Microsoft, Meta, Uber, American Express, and Starbucks. Many of these corporations are located far from the border and do not have to contend with the humanitarian crisis created by so many border crossers.
Out of a total budget of nearly $122 million, roughly $70 million is spent on “refugee and immigration assistance” in foreign nations. Significantly, HIAS allocated U.S. taxpayer money to facilitate programs in Panama to assist migrants, many of whom will cross into the United States.
The trek across the Darien Gap, from Colombia into Panama, is one of the most dangerous segments of the journey from South America to the U.S. border. People are now making that journey in record numbers, often in organized caravans, en route to cross unlawfully into the United States, as The Wall Street Journal reported in June.
After these migrants exit the Darien Gap, HIAS’ operation in Panama assists them in accessing migration centers and preparing to resume their movement northward.
“Refugees and migrants trying to cross the Darién risk their lives in hazardous conditions and face sexual violence and other abuses during the journey,” the organization claimed in a 2022-2023 overview of its operations in Panama. ”In 2021, nearly 122,000 people, including 26,000 children, crossed the Colombian border through the Darién and continued north.”
HIAS uses U.S. taxpayer money to offer “psychological first aid” and training about gender-based violence. “HIAS Panama also works to raise awareness of the rights of refugees and migrants and threats faced by women and girls and LGBTQ individuals,” the group added.
The majority of the migrants assisted by HIAS’s programs were offered “legal protection” as well as cash and voucher assistance or cash-based intervention (CVA/CBI), as identified in the organization’s 2022-2023 Panama report.
The group notes, “HIAS Panama works closely with the government of Panama as well as [the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] and its partners and will continue to collaborate with international NGOs, local organizations, the private sector, and other key stakeholders supporting refugees and asylum seekers.”
In total, President Joe Biden’s administration has allocated at least $5 billion in taxpayer funds for migration and refugee assistance in 2023 alone. Since 2017, more than $19 billion has been spent on facilitating migration out of foreign countries.
Border security experts have suggested that Biden’s administration uses NGOs like HIAS to facilitate unlawful migration and increased immigration. If true, then the administration would be complicit in aiding the breaking of federal law.
Chris Russo, the president of Texans for Strong Borders, previously explained to The Dallas Express, “We have known for years that [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] partners with open-border NGOs to facilitate the transportation of illegal aliens from the border to our nation’s interior, so it’s hardly a surprise that they are receiving taxpayer funds to this end.”
“What is sinister about this scheme is not only that illegal aliens are being given taxpayer-funded travel to virtually anywhere in the United States, but that the Biden administration then denies all accountability,” he added.
Similarly, Todd Bensman with the Center for Immigration Studies told The Dallas Express, “One of the primary jobs of NGOs has been to manage the inflows of people into and out of border patrol facilities.”
The Dallas Express reached out to HIAS to ask why taxpayer money is required for its operations in Panama and what benefit these projects provide to American taxpayers. The organization did not respond by the time of publication.
