The Red Cross, one of the United States’ oldest and most prominent humanitarian organizations, is accused of facilitating unlawful migrants’ U.S. border crossings.
Red Cross staff allegedly provided maps and medical provisions to unlawful migrants traveling across central America and Mexico to the U.S. border, The Daily Caller reported.
Documents the Caller obtained include maps with illustrated routes to the U.S. border and key Texas cities, including San Antonio, El Paso, and McAllen, as well as border cities in other states such as Arizona.
In February, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provided $350 million in taxpayer funds to the Red Cross via the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Food and Shelter Program, as The Daily Caller noted.
This raises the prospect that the DHS is aiding unlawful migration via FEMA’s Food and Shelter Program and deterring unlawful migration via U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
When asked by The Dallas Express if the Red Cross had made law enforcement subagencies in the DHS aware of its provisional support to unlawful migrants, American Red Cross spokesman Brian Murnahan provided a statement:
“Every day around the world, people make the difficult decision to leave their homes and their countries in pursuit of a safer place to live and hope for a better future. Families migrate for different reasons, such as conflict, violence, natural disasters, or other reasons.
“The International Committee of the Red Cross and the American Red Cross, as a part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, neither prevents nor encourages migration. We aim to help prevent and mitigate the humanitarian consequences that migration can bring — including separation and loss of family contacts, disappearances, serious medical issues, and even death.
“Our approach to migrants is strictly humanitarian. We provide information about ways to reduce risk and where to find lifesaving assistance in Mexico and Central America. It is essential to prevent the loss of lives and to promote a humanitarian approach. Addressing the needs of this vulnerable population is a shared responsibility, of the authorities in the countries of origin, transit and destination, and of the international community.”
Sheena Rodriguez, president of Alliance for a Safe Texas, disagreed with the Red Cross’ description of the situation.
“This report highlights the orchestrated effort from NGOs operating in Central America using our taxpayer dollars to actively work against American citizens,” Rodriguez told The Dallas Express. “I believe that the Red Cross is one of many NGOs using taxpayer dollars to facilitate this crisis on our border.”
Somewhere between 60-80% of unlawful migrant women are raped on their journey to the U.S. border, according to a report posted on Mental Health and Human Rights Info.
Rodriguez provided a personal account of the exploitation and tied the tragedy to the Red Cross.
“I have seen it firsthand. New and used condoms are littering the Texas side of the border. Birth control is given knowing these assaults are happening,” Rodriguez told The Dallas Express. “It’s complete disregard for human tragedy happening on our side of the border. [The Red Cross] are absolutely complicit; they’re trying to mask it.”
Officers deployed as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star continue to address the impact of illegal trafficking at the border and in the state. One of those officers, Galveston County’s Justin West, said in a statement to The Dallas Express:
“Regardless of what other organizations do, we continue to do the right thing and help fellow Texans fight against the trafficking of people and illicit drugs. Every day, our deputies save the lives of those being victimized by human trafficking and those who would be exposed to drugs like fentanyl and potentially die as a result.”