Thread: Investigation: Americans Charged $66M to Help Illegal Aliens Fight Deportation

Investigation: Americans Charged $66M to Help Illegal Aliens Fight Deportation

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John Smith/VIEWpressJOHN BINDER28 Feb 2023

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4:48

American taxpayers across a number of towns and cities are being charged to the tune of more than $66 million, often passed through a group linked to billionaire George Soros, to help illegal aliens fight their deportations from the United States.

The investigation conducted by the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) reveals the extent to which taxpayers across about 50 towns, cities, and counties are footing the bill to keep illegal aliens in their communities.

Specifically, the Vera Institute of Justice has hugely expanded its contracts with cities and counties that work to defend illegal aliens fighting deportation using taxpayer funds.
The investigation details:

Vera uses a simple, straightforward strategy. It targets liberal cities and counties, lobbying them to establish funds to pay for lawyers to represent foreigners in deportation proceedings. Interested localities are encouraged by Vera to join its SAFE (Safety and Fairness for Everyone) Network. This is an association of city and county governments across the country that spend public funds on lawyers to represent non-citizens contesting their deportation orders. [Emphasis added]

Vera entices local governments by offering matching grants to a portion of the costs associated with the first year of a deportation defense fund. For example, a city may decide to join the SAFE Network and accept a $100,000 donation from Vera, but city officials must fork over $100,000 of taxpayer money in order to receive that grant. Accordingly, for the initial year, the participating city will effectively double the funds available to it. (In our hypothetical, $100,000 becomes $200,000 through Vera’s matching grant). [Emphasis added]

The Vera Institute of Justice not only has ties to Soros’s Open Society Foundation but also major corporate backers like the Tides Foundation, the Rockefeller Family Fund, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

According to IRLI investigators, “cash-strapped American families are laying out roughly $66,145,000 for lawyers to try and keep illegal aliens, foreign criminals, and other immigration violators” through such contracts like those sought after by the Vera Institute of Justice. The investigation states:

… facing staggering budgetary shortfalls, states, cities and towns across America have increasingly reduced expenditures on essential services such as police protection and public transportation. Nevertheless, the number of jurisdictions establishing deportation defense funds continues to grow. And the cost to U.S. taxpayers is staggering.

What’s worse, is the longer those immigration violators remain in America, the more they tend to cost us – placing a fiscal burden on public schools, the criminal justice system, and our transportation infrastructure. [Emphasis added]
…
So, what’s the end game? Advocates for illegal aliens and other immigration lawbreakers know that even when lawyers can’t win a case in Immigration Court, they can often delay the proceedings. And the longer a foreign national tends to remain in the United States, the lower the likelihood that he/she will ultimately be removed from the United States.

The fact is that our system rewards people for breaking our immigration laws – and the longer they get away with breaking the law, the greater the reward. [Emphasis added]

For years, the federal government has contracted with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to funnel taxpayer money to illegal aliens fighting deportation from the U.S. In 2018, for instance, the Obama administration rewarded the Vera Institute of Justice with a $310 million contract to help young migrants avoid deportation.

Last year, alone, the Biden administration gave the Vera Institute of Justice and its affiliate group more than $200 million in federal contracts to fund legal representation for illegal aliens facing deportation.

The initiative has also been carried out by a number of district attorneys whose local campaigns were backed by Soros, as Breitbart News has reported.

“These efforts are totally insane,” the investigation states. “Just imagine just how much it would cost Americans if they had to pay for a free lawyer for every one of the 15-20 million foreigners who are currently estimated to be in the U.S. in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act.”

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.



https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2...t-deportation/

Biden admin's taxpayer-backed contracts to help illegal immigrants avoid deportation come under a microscope



Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley is seeking answers on Vera Institute of Justice's government contracts

Published

February 27, 2023 4:53pm EST

By Joe Schoffstall | Fox News

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Illegal immigrants in Texas found hiding from authorities underneath a house

A group of migrants in Texas fled from authorities during a high-speed chase and hid underneath houses in a bid to enter the U.S. illegally, authorities said Wednesday. (Texas Department of Public Safety)




Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley is probing hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer-backed Biden administration contracts with a left-wing nonprofit to help illegal immigrants avoid deportation.
Fox News Digital previously reported that the Vera Institute of Justice, a New York-based nonprofit that views immigration enforcement agencies as a "threat" to civil liberties, received hefty Health and Human Services (HHS)-backed contracts as part of efforts to keep illegal immigrants in the United States.

Now, Grassley is seeking answers on the federal contracts with Vera, who he says has a history of not fully complying with legal and regulatory requirements regarding the expenditure of government funds. In a Feb. 16 letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, Grassley raised concerns about the Vera contracts, particularly regarding oversight structures to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.

"My concerns with respect to HHS' oversight of its contracts with third parties stems, in part, from HHS' FY 2022 Agency Financial Report," Grassley wrote. "In that report, the HHS Inspector General identified a range of problems with HHS oversight of contracts, including contracts for services with respect to unaccompanied alien children."

BIDEN ADMIN GIVES LEFT-WING GROUPS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS TO HELP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FIGHT DEPORTATION




President Joe Biden's HHS has awarded hundreds of millions in taxpayer-backed contracts to the Vera Institute of Justice. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)



"The report included a finding that the ORR 'did not award or sufficiently manage a sole source contract in accordance with Federal requirements,'" Grassley wrote. "Given that Vera could receive almost a billion dollars of taxpayer funds under one contract alone, even a fraction of improper conduct can add up to large sums of money. A robust oversight structure needs to be in place to protect taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud and abuse."

Grassley elaborated on his concerns by referencing a Department of Justice inspector general report that found Vera did not comply with previous "essential award conditions."

"Vera did not comply with essential award conditions related to award expenditures including: personnel and fringe benefits, travel, supplies and other costs, consultants and contracts, and subawards," Grassley wrote. "Additionally, OIG found issues related to Vera's compliance with award special conditions, procurement practices, subrecipient monitoring, and financial reporting."

"The audit also found that Vera had $325,907 in expenditures 'that do not comply with legal, regulatory, or contractual requirements; are not supported by adequate documentation at the time of the audit; or are unnecessary or unreasonable,'" Grassley continued. "This example further demonstrates the need for transparency in how Vera and its subcontractors are using taxpayer funds and what HHS has done to employ robust oversight procedures and policies to ensure Vera is in full compliance with all applicable legal, regulatory, and contractual requirements."

Grassley posed a series of questions to Becerra, including on HHS oversight procedures, policies, and guidelines that are in place to ensure Vera is in full compliance with all applicable legal, regulatory, and contractual requirements.

HHS did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment by press time.

OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE PROBES 'NO-BID' DHS CONTRACT TO LAW FIRM TO HANDLE MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT EFFORTS




US Republican Senator from Iowa Chuck Grassley is ceremonially sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris for the 118th Congress in the Old Senate Chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 3, 2023. (OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)



The Vera Institute of Justice and the Acacia Center for Justice, a nonprofit linked to Vera and another left-wing immigration group, have combined to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer-backed government contracts since President Biden took office.

According to records previously reviewed by Fox News Digital, a vast majority of the money is going towards efforts to keep illegal immigrants in the United States.

Vera has collected around $350 million from government contracts for immigration services in the past two years. The Acacia Center for Justice has also pocketed tens of millions of dollars in recent federal contracts. The progressive groups landed the contracts amid the escalating border crisis.

Vera received a $171 million HHS-funded contract last March to help unaccompanied minors avoid deportation, the records show. The contract has since paid out around $180 million with supplemental agreements as of December.

The arrangement lasts until March but can hit as high as $983 million if renewed until March 2027. If extended, it will be the most significant federal contract the group has received for immigration-related services.

Vera has also secured other large government contracts since early 2021, including a $168 million contract in March 2021 for the same purpose of helping unaccompanied minors avoid deportation. During this time, the group also obtained smaller contracts ranging from $4 million to $12 million from other federal departments.

ICE SPENT $17M OF NO-BID CONTRACT TO HOUSE MIGRANTS IN HOTELS THAT WENT LARGELY UNUSED: DHS WATCHDOG




A U.S. Border Patrol agent sits in a truck on a road outside a ranch gate near Carrizzo Springs, Texas, U.S. (Eddie Seal/Bloomberg via Getty Images)



Vera did not respond to a request for comment on Grassley's letter.

Meanwhile, the Acacia Center for Justice, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit started from a partnership between Vera and Capital Area Immigrants' Rights, has received several "legal services" contracts from the Department of Justice last September that netted the group around $41 million in payments, records show.

The Acacia Center appears to have launched to expand Vera's work with illegal immigrants detained at the border. However, unlike Vera's government contracts for unaccompanied minors, the Acacia Center's contracts do not specify an age group for the legal services.

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Its partner organization, Capital Area Immigrants' Rights, also directs an adult defense program that provides information, support, and legal representation to illegal immigrants, according to its website. It also has a detained unaccompanied children's program that works with minors at the Office of Refugee Resettlement juvenile immigration detention centers in Maryland and Virginia.

The Acacia Center launched last year and received the contracts less than two months after getting a July 2022 determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service, which stated the group's effective date of tax exemption was Dec. 29, 2021, according to filings.

Joe Schoffstall is a politics producer/reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Joe.Schoffstall@Fox.com and on Twitter: @joeschoffstall


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GOP senators zero in on controversial DHS program providing social services to illegal migrants


Democrats have called for additional funding for the program

February 27, 2023 4:03am EST

By Adam Shaw | Fox News

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Republican senators are eyeing cuts to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pilot program which aids illegal immigrants facing potential deportation -- just as Democrats in the House are calling for an additional $20 million in funding for the program.

The Case Management Pilot Program was authorized by Congress in the 2021 DHS Appropriations Act, which provided $5 million in funding to FEMA for the program. It was funding for an additional $20 million in the FY 23 appropriations bill.

The program provides "voluntary case management and other services" to illegal immigrants in immigration removal proceedings, including mental health services, school enrollment, legal aid, "cultural orientation programs" and connections to social services -- as well as human trafficking screening and departure planning for those being deported.

The services are intended for migrants enrolled in ICE’s Alternative to Detention program -- which involves more than 300,000 illegal immigrants being tracked by a variety of methods including ankle bracelets, phone check-in and smart-phone apps.

DEMS CALL FOR ADDITIONAL $20 MILLION IN FUNDING FOR CONTROVERSIAL DHS PROGRAM AIDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS




Migrants leave for a shelter from the Port Authority bus terminal in New York, the United States, on Sept. 27, 2022. New York City will set up and open transitory humanitarian emergency response and relief centers in the coming weeks to handle the influx of migrants transported from Texas and other border states, announced New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua via Getty Images)



It has proven controversial not only due to the spending on services for illegal immigrants but also the presence of non-profits who have typically advocated for migrants -- including one that has called for the abolition and defunding of ICE -- on a national board responsible for awarding funds.

Sens. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, and Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., wrote to DHS in November requesting information about the program and recently obtained a response from DHS, which was obtained by Fox News Digital.

DHS, in its response, notes that the program was set out by Congress in the FY 2021 Appropriations Act, which provided an initial $5 million for the program. DHS outlines the plethora of services made available to migrants.

"Per the Appropriations Act, CMPP service providers will provide case management services including but not limited to: mental health services; human and sex trafficking screening; legal orientation programs; cultural orientation programs; connections to social services; and for individuals who will be removed, reintegration services," its response says. "Connection to a range of services that participants identify as a priority could include access to counsel, affordable housing, childcare, transportation, healthcare, schooling, language classes, and orientation."

"CMPP makes funds available to local governments and/or nonprofits to provide case management and culturally, trauma-informed, and linguistically responsive services to noncitizens in immigration removal proceedings who affirmatively volunteer to participate in the program," it says. "CMPP funds will be awarded to eligible sub-recipients through the Board. The Board is charged with awarding funds to eligible local governments and nonprofit organizations and managing the pilot program."

SENS. MARSHALL, HAGERTY DEMAND INFO ON DHS PROGRAM OVERSEEN BY GROUP THAT BACKS DEFUNDING ICE
CMPP Terms of Reference 1.13.23 by Adam Shaw on Scribd

The board charged with awarding funds includes three non-governmental organizations, including Church World Service -- which will serve as secretariat and fiscal agent. Fox News Digital has previously reported that CWS has a history of activism in immigration, including calling for abolishing ICE. CWS told Fox at that time that it has "long advocated for humane alternatives to detention and against the cruel and inhumane treatment of migrants seeking safety."

"CMPP is an important step toward the federal government providing the trauma-informed, wholistic case management services that all families seeking safety deserve," the group said.

In its response to the senators, DHS said the agency "developed objective criteria and a transparent process for the selection of CMPP National Board members with experience in executing federal grant funding and providing relevant case management services, consistent with expectations set forth in the [Joint Explanatory Statement].

However, the information from DHS has done little to blunt concerns from Republicans about the program -- with multiple lawmakers calling for additional oversight and looking at ways to reform how the funding is used.

NONPROFIT THAT BACKS DEFUNDING ICE TO OVERSEE DHS PILOT PROGRAM AIDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

"This is an opportunity for Congress to get something right," Marshall said. "Based on the response we received from DHS, the CMPP is not being used as lawmakers intended and this administration has no issue with letting open borders activists abuse the program. Not a single additional cent of public funding should be spent on the CMPP until significant reforms are made to prevent this corruption."

"DHS confirmed that an organization that has supported abolishing ICE has now been put in charge of a DHS immigration law enforcement program," Hagerty said in a statement. "This is deeply concerning, and the American people deserve answers regarding how an open-borders organization is being allowed by DHS to manage millions of immigration enforcement dollars."






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Meanwhile, Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Fox that "taxpayer money should not pay for illegal immigrants’ benefits, and our Department of Homeland Security should not be in the business of facilitating services that financially incentivize more people to illegally enter our country, especially amid the unprecedented national security and humanitarian crisis at our southern border."

"As Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee for the Senate Committee on Appropriations, I look forward to conducting robust oversight of this Administration’s conduct when it comes to their disastrous, reckless agenda related to immigration and border security," she said.

LEAKED ICE DOC SHOWS ‘ALTERNATIVES TO DETENTION’ PROGRAM HAS ‘LITTLE VALUE’ BUT ‘SIGNIFICANT EXPENSE’

"We should responsibly appropriate money in a manner that keeps American families and communities safe and that grows opportunity for hardworking Americans – not finances a radical, partisan agenda that encourages further illegal immigration," she added.

Meanwhile, RJ Hauman at the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) – which calls for lower levels of immigration overall – told Fox News Digital that the DHS response "confirms what we all assumed: The Biden administration is funneling federal tax dollars through ICE to provide welfare to illegal aliens."

"Rather than helping the men and women of ICE enforce the law, they are actively undermining them and turning to radical NGOs with no law enforcement background," he said. "Republican appropriators need to take a hard line on the pilot program’s existence — a single dollar to CMPP or any "Abolish ICE" or mass migration NGO should be a nonstarter."

But that opposition comes as 36 House Democrats are pushing for the program to get even more money, and for it to be combined with a winding down of related ICE surveillance.

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"Case management programs have proven highly effective to ensure that individuals can navigate immigration proceedings and comply with the process while reducing our reliance on immigration detention," the lawmakers wrote in a letter to the White House earlier this month. "Moreover, case management is more cost-effective and humane compared to immigration detention."

They argue that programs such as CMPP are "crucial to reduce our reliance on immigration detention while ensuring that individuals who lack community ties and would benefit from additional assistance have assistance to comply with immigration proceedings."

They called for the Office of Management and Budget to "instruct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prioritize establishing the program and that the expansion of CMPP does not result in an expansion of individuals subject to ICE surveillance through detention and electronic surveillance."
Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

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