Abbott accuses NGOs of illegal activity on the border; Paxton to investigate
Hogan Gore Austin American-Statesman Dec 19, 2022
“In light of these reports, I am calling on the Texas Attorney General’s Office to initiate an investigation into the role of NGOs in planning and facilitating the illegal transportation of illegal immigrants across our borders,” Abbott said, adding that he is ready to craft legislative solutions aimed at solving the border crisis and the role of NGOs that Paxton’s office proposes.
Paxton swiftly replied to Abbott’s call saying he will launch the investigation, and pledging to take action against organizations found violating the law. He called what’s happening at the southern border “an invasion,” and placed the majority of the blame on the Biden administration.
“The Biden Administration bears the responsibility for the accompanying rise in crime, cartel activity, and lethal drugs like fentanyl flooding into communities throughout our nation,” Paxton said. “Some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) may be aiding and abetting this invasion.”
https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2022/12/19/paxton-agrees-to-investigate-ngos-working-on-the-border-in-response-to-the-governors-request/69731864007/>>19563087
Republicans accuse Catholic Charities of breaking the law in its border response
Kevin Clarke December 15, 2022
Catholic Charities USA officials pushed back strongly against allegations from Republican House of Representatives members that its humanitarian responses to the U.S. border crisis were potentially criminal acts.
In a statement released on Dec. 15, C.C.U.S.A. said those accusations were “both fallacious and factually inaccurate. Our life-saving humanitarian work neither violates federal laws nor endangers communities.”
“The ministry of care provided to migrants by Catholic Charities has been ongoing, across multiple administrations, since our founding in 1910,” the agency said.
“To care for people who are at-risk, including vulnerable people on the move, is a part of the fabric of the global Catholic Church and is mandated by the gospel.”
https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2022/12/15/border-crisis-republicans-catholic-charities-244359
Catholic immigrant advocates reject claims of facilitating illegal crossings
By John Lavenburg Dec 17, 2022
NEW YORK – Immigrant advocacy organizations in Texas say they have not yet been contacted by state Attorney General Ken Paxton after he pledged to launch an investigation this week, at the request of the governor, into the alleged role of non-governmental organizations in illegal border crossings.
Joan Rosenhauer, the executive director of Jesuit Refugee Service, said in a statement to Crux that “accusations like this can create a false narrative, which can be damaging, about the work NGOs are doing at the border and ultimately cause harm to asylum-seekers and organizations serving them.”
The same day Abbott called for an investigation, Catholic Charities USA received a letter from four House representatives requiring it to “preserve all information related to any expenditures submitted for reimbursement from the federal government related to migrants encountered at the southern border.”
The letter is signed by Republican House representatives Lance Gooden of Texas, Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, Jake Ellzey of Texas, and Andy Biggs of Arizona.
They allege in the letter that border NGOs “profit off of exploiting [U.S.] immigration laws,” and fuel the rise of migrants crossing the border.
Catholic Charities USA denied the allegations.
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2022/12/catholic-immigrant-advocates-reject-claims-of-facilitating-illegal-crossings