The corporal acts of mercy necessitate that we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, and clothe the naked. Our compassion dictates that we assist strangers to our homeland. But when it comes to illegal immigration, is our empathy misplaced? Is the Church enabling the above criminality and facilitating the oppression of the immigrants we are hoping to help? Are leftists and naïve do-gooders in the Church participating in the transformation of the United States that by far the overwhelming majority of all Americans, particularly Catholics, do not want?
Decades ago, the State Department began to resettle genuine refugees in the United States. They approached the Catholic Church for help. Today, that legitimate assistance has turned into an “illegal immigration complex” worth billions of dollars.
Liberal groups make the correct calculation that most will be afraid to criticize the Biden Administration’s use of nongovernmental organizations and faith-based groups to help mask the flow of federal money to aid illegal immigration. Unfortunately, some people smear as racist anyone who advocates for securing the border—something that should be considered non-controversial and essential for all nation-states.
Francis, a leftist globalist Argentine, has made the defense of illegal immigration a major plank of his papacy. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is all-in. Post-Covid, weekly Mass attendance has continued its steep decline. There is a need to fill both the pews and the collection plates.
Catholic organizations are among the top recipients of federal immigration funds. Between 2008-2022, Catholic charitable organizations received approximately $3 billion in federal funding. The USCCB acts as a kind of general contractor. It is the single largest grantee of subawards in the nation. For example, Catholic Charities receives direct funding from the USG but also subawards from the USCCB. According to Forbes, in 2022 Catholic Charities USA was the 13th-largest U.S. charity. Of $4.7 billion in total revenues, Catholic Charities received $1.4 billion from government support.
In short, the globalist Left and the Biden Administration are hiding behind faith-based organizations to keep federal grants flowing to assist illegal immigration and to deflect from the horrific criminal results. Meanwhile, it is clear many Catholic charities benefit financially from their participation in—and promotion of—illegal immigration.
Shouldn’t Catholic charitable organizations devote themselves to the problems of poverty, lack of education, inequality, unemployment, and poor health care in the illegal immigrants’ countries of origin instead of helping criminals break U.S. law and transform our country?
Rather, it appears that once again, it all comes back to money.
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