FIRST ON FOX — A bill will be introduced to stop federal funds from being given to nonprofit entities unless they comply with human trafficking or alien smuggling laws.
Lance Gooden, R-Texas, plans to introduce the “Protecting Federal Funds from Human Trafficking and Smuggling Act of 2023” to set standards for nonprofit organizations as they gather in border towns to assist with the migrant surge.
“By ensuring that federal funds are not awarded to organizations that engage in these heinous activities, we can safeguard taxpayer dollars and hold bad actors accountable,” Gooden told Fox News Digital.
Gooden’s bill proposes that NGOs certify federal law compliance with the Office of Management and Budget.
Asylum-seekers are arriving primarily from Guatemala, Cuba and Venezuela by the thousands since the end of the Title 42 rapid expulsion policy on May 11. As a result, nonprofit organizations are stepping up to transport, shelter and feed migrants in border towns.
Health and Human Services (HHS) whistleblower Tara Lee Rodas testified during a House hearing in April that migrant children in particular were victims of a “sophisticated network” of labor trafficking. The government places unaccompanied minors with sponsors throughout the U.S., some of whom “view children as commodities and assets to be used for earning income – this is why we are witnessing an explosion of labor trafficking,” Rodas said.
If enacted, Gooden’s bill would apply to nonprofit groups that have been awarded federal funding or an “agreement, contract, award, or relationship with the Federal Government.”
Gooden’s office said that while the Judiciary and Oversight committees are collecting evidence, “We know through whistleblowers and migrants themselves that this funding is going toward federal handouts including lodging, transportation, debit cards, and free legal advice.”
The congressman also sent letters to Catholic Charities, Jewish Family Services and the Lutheran Immigration Services, requesting full amounts of federal funds. However, no response was given.
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