DOGE urged to defund charity teaching migrants how to 'avoid' ICE

Published: 17:17 EST, 27 January 2025 | Updated: 17:17 EST, 27 January 2025

Republicans angry with Catholic Charities on Monday urged President Donald Trump to defund the organization after they published a video offering advice to illegal immigrants in danger of getting deported by law enforcement.

The video features attorney Barb Graham of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee offering advice to ‘undocumented’ immigrants if their workplace is raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials

“Do not panic, and do not run away. If you are frightened and feel like you need to leave, you can calmly walk toward the exit,” Graham advises, as the video features ICE officials questioning immigrants.

If their workplace is raided, the Catholic Charities video advises them to remain calm and if stopped by officials to ‘refuse to answer’ questions about their immigration status and demand a lawyer.

The video was first published on January 20th, but went viral on social media early Monday morning.

The video angered Trump supporters who immediately demanded the federal government defund the organization.

‘We need to defund Catholic Charities,’ wrote Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett on social media on Monday, flagging the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Catholic Charities is one of many non-government organizations that receives millions of dollars every year to help relocate and settle illegal immigrants into the Untied States.

It's not the first time Catholic Charities has come under fire for their work in bringing migrants into local communities.

Wisconsin Rep. Tom Tiffany condemned the charity's efforts in November.

'Shady NGOs facilitating illegal immigration into the U.S. should not receive taxpayer dollars,' he wrote. 'I will work with @DOGE to DEFUND organizations like the IOM and Catholic Charities.'

Lance Gooden, a Representative from Texas, singled out Catholic Charities and ten other organizations in a letter to House colleagues in May 2023 which accused the groups of playing a 'disturbing role in the inflow and spread of illegal immigrants throughout the country'.

'These NGOs abuse their tax-exempt status and the trust of the very taxpayers that fund them by encouraging migrants to travel to the southern border illegally with resources from federal funds,' Gooden wrote.

About two thirds of Catholic Charities’ annual spending comes from government sources according to Philanthropy Roundtable.

A statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops criticized the Trump administration in a statement for allowing immigration enforcement to take place in places of worship, social service agencies, or healthcare facilities, describing it as 'contrary to the common good.'

On Sunday, Vice President JD Vance, a recent convert to Catholicism, said he was 'heartbroken' by the statement from the USCCB, during an interview.

'I think that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit and recognize that when they receive over $100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns? Or are they actually worried about their bottom line?' he said during an interview with CBS Face the Nation.

The Catholic Church teaches that ‘more prosperous nations’ should ‘welcome the foreigner’ looking for refuge, however the Church also recognizes that political authorities have the right to make and enforce immigration laws, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

“Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption,” the catechism reads.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14331419/DOGE-defund-catholic-charities-migrants-ICE.html

Catholic Charities slammed over video advising how to deal with ICE: 'Defund'

by RAY LEWIS | The National News DeskMon, January 27th 2025 at 2:01 PM

MILWAUKEE (TNND) — A Tennessee congressman on Monday called for defunding Catholic Charities after it advised people pursued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of what the organization said is their rights.

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., posted on social media platform X, “We need to defund Catholic Charities @DOGE @DOGECommittee,” referencing the new Department of Government Efficiency and the House of Representatives’s Delivering on Government Efficiency subcommittee. The congressman included in his post a video published earlier this month by Catholic Charities Milwaukee, in which Barbara Graham, director of the organization’s Refugee and Immigration Services, explained what she said are the rights of workers who are wanted by ICE.

All people living in the U.S., including those who are “undocumented,” have some constitutional rights, according to Graham. The director said in the video people questioned by ICE can express their right to remain silent.

“You do not need to speak to the immigration authorities or answer any questions. If you are asked where you were born or how you entered the United States, you may simply refuse to answer or remain silent,” Graham noted. “If you choose to remain silent, say so out loud.”

People being questioned by the agency also have the right to speak to a lawyer, according to the director.

“If you are detained or taken into custody, you have the right to immediately contact a lawyer. Even if you do not have a lawyer, you may tell immigration officers that you want to speak to one,” Graham said. “If you have a lawyer, you have the right to talk to them.”

She added that people in questioning can refuse to sign paperwork until they are given an opportunity to speak to a lawyer.

If you choose to sign something without speaking to a lawyer, be sure you understand exactly what the document says and what the document means before you sign it,” Graham advised.

Catholic Charities Milwaukee shared its video just days before President Donald Trump was inaugurated. The president since taking office has begun to follow through on various campaign promises related to illegal immigration, including declaring a national emergency at the southern border.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week started providing daily data showing the number of arrests by the agency. ICE said Sunday it arrested 956 individuals residing in the U.S. illegally, the agency's highest single-day total since Trump took office.

“Government sources” fund more than two thirds of Catholic Charities’s annual spending, according to Philanthropy Roundtable, which describes itself as a national association of “individual donors, corporate giving officers, and foundation trustees and staff.”

Neither Catholic Charities Milwaukee nor the national branch of Catholic Charities immediately responded to a request for comment from The National News Desk (TNND).

https://keprtv.com/news/nation-world/catholic-charities-slammed-over-video-advising-how-to-deal-with-ice-defund-tim-burchett-catholic-charities-milwaukee-immigration-and-customs-enforcement

Catholic Charities draws fire over video coaching illegal migrants on how to duck ICE workplace probes

A Catholic charity that receives billions in government funding has stirred controversy for a video teaching migrants in the country illegally how to evade US immigration law.

In the video, distributed by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s Refugee & Immigration Services Program, immigration attorney Barbara Graham outlines step-by-step instructions for how migrants can thwart authorities conducting lawful investigations at their workplace.

“Do not panic, and do not run away. If you are frightened and feel like you need to leave, you can calmly walk toward the exit,” Graham advised.

“If you are stopped, you may ask if you are free to leave. If the officer says no, do not try to exit the building. If you are questioned, you may tell them you want to remain silent,” she continued.

She further suggested that illegal immigrants should stonewall authorities by refusing to answer questions including where they were born or how they got into the US.

https://nypost.com/2025/01/27/us-news/catholic-charities-draws-fire-over-video-coaching-illegal-migrants-on-how-to-duck-ice/

WASHINGTON – Catholic Charities Bureau of the Diocese of Superior yesterday asked the Supreme Court to confirm the obvious: that its care for the poor, the elderly, and the disabled furthers its religious mission. In Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission, the Supreme Court will review a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that treated Catholic Charities’ ministry to the poor and needy as “primarily secular.” This decision meant that Catholic Charities could not join the Wisconsin Catholic Church’s own unemployment compensation program but was stuck paying into the state’s less efficient and more costly plan that is not as good for workers. Represented by Becket, Catholic Charities has now filed a brief with the Court explaining that Wisconsin’s actions violate the First Amendment by second-guessing the Catholic Church’s religious teachings on charity.

Most Catholic dioceses have a social ministry arm that serves those in need. Catholic Charities carries out this important work for the Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin, by helping the disabled, elderly, and those living in poverty—regardless of their faith. This belief that ministry to those in need should not be limited to Catholics flows directly from Catholic social teaching and advances the Church’s religious mission through the corporal works of mercy.

“Catholic Charities Bureau answers Christ’s call to minister to the most vulnerable by caring for the poor, disabled, and elderly throughout the diocese and beyond,” said Bishop James Powers, Bishop of the Diocese of Superior. “We pray the Court recognizes that this vital work of improving the human condition lies at the heart of our duty as Catholics.”

Under Wisconsin law, non-profits that are operated primarily for a religious purpose are generally exempt from the state’s unemployment compensation program. The Wisconsin Supreme Court, however, ruled that Catholic Charities was not exempt because it serves everyone, not just Catholics. The court said that Catholic Charities could qualify for an exemption if it limited its hiring to Catholics and tried to convert those it served to Catholicism—even though the Catholic Church teaches that care for the poor cannot be conditioned on acceptance of the Church’s teachings. The Justices will soon decide if Catholic Charities, like numerous other religious ministries in Wisconsin, can receive a religious exemption from this state law. The case will be argued in April and decided by the end of June.

“Wisconsin has taken the absurd position that helping the needy isn’t all that Catholic,” said Eric Rassbach, vice president and senior counsel at Becket. “Not only is that remarkable claim wrong about religion, it is also bad for those who need help. The Supreme Court should protect Catholic Charities from Wisconsin’s government overreach.”

Catholic Charities Bureau is also represented by Kyle H. Torvinen of Torvinen, Jones & Saunders, S.C., in Superior, Wisconsin.

For more information or to arrange an interview with a Becket attorney, contact Ryan Colby at media@becketfund.org or 202-349-7219. 

https://becketfund.org/media/catholic-charities-to-supreme-court-serving-the-needy-is-religious/

JD Vance Suggests Catholic Bishops Just Care About Money Jan 26, 2025 at 6:34 PM EST

Vice President JD Vance suggested to CBS News' Margaret Brennan in an interview that aired Sunday morning that Catholic bishops concerned over President Donald Trump's immigration plans just care about money.

Newsweek reached out to the White House and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) via email for comment on Sunday.

Why It Matters

Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced it would end a longstanding policy that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents would not make arrests in or near "sensitive" areas, such as churches, hospitals or schools.

Vance, a practicing Catholic, made his recent remarks in response to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) statement on the rescission of the ICE policy. The USCCB said, in part, on Thursday, "Turning places of care, healing, and solace into places of fear and uncertainty for those in need, while endangering the trust between pastors, providers, educators and the people they serve, will not make our communities safer."

https://www.newsweek.com/jd-vance-catholic-church-immigration-2021007

Catholic Charities Asks Supreme Court for Religious Tax Break

Jan. 28, 2025, 10:58 AM EST

Charity required to pay into unemployment insurance system

Split state high court sided with Wisconsin in dispute

Wisconsin violated a Catholic charitable organization’s First Amendment rights by denying a tax exemption, applying a “cramped, idiosyncratic understanding of what constitutes ‘religious’ behavior,” the group told the US Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Wisconsin’s Labor & Industry Review Commission violated the establishment clause by determining Catholic Charities Bureau Inc.’s services were non-religious and therefore it and four subsidiaries didn’t qualify for an exemption from the state’s unemployment insurance system, the organization told the justices.

https://news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-report/catholic-charities-asks-supreme-court-for-religious-tax-break