The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has received a formal complaint against Catholic Charities, recommending the group for prosecution for allegedly trafficking illegal immigrants in violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
Catholic Charities USA is a network of 167 local Catholic social service organizations, governed by a Board of Trustees selected from these local charitable organizations. Besides working with volunteers and receiving donations from individuals and organizations, it is also a recipient of substantial federal funding.
While these funds should go towards worthy social causes such as disaster relief, the organization is accused of using its resources, potentially including federal funds, to aid illegal immigrants in violation of federal law.
Jack Posobiec filed the complaint alleging that the organization’s activities amount to the trafficking of illegal aliens across the country.
According to the complaint, Catholic Charities receives billions of dollars to resettle immigrants and refugees but uses those funds to support illegal immigration instead of supporting humanitarian causes. It also accuses the federally funded religious nonprofit of transporting and resettling illegal aliens, potentially violating federal law.Â
Posobiec invoked the RICO law because it targets organized crime, such as human trafficking, of which Catholic Charities USA stands to be accused. The petitioners also accused the nonprofit of being aware of the alleged ongoing violations, a necessary component to sustain the RICO charge.
Republican legislators have also accused Catholic Charities of exacerbating the illegal immigration problem by providing transportation, food, and shelter to illegal immigrants. While Posobiec only recently filed the complaint, allegations against Catholic Charities USA and its local chapters have been ongoing.
In July 2024, state District Judge J.R. Flores blocked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s attempt to obtain a deposition from the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, which operates a 2,000-capacity temporary housing. Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley is a Texas member of the nationwide organization, Catholic Charities USA.
AG Paxton was preparing to investigate the regional nonprofit for allegedly helping illegal immigrants into the United States during the height of the crisis. In December 2022, Republican legislators also wrote to Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas accusing the administration of giving the non-profit the “freedom to aid and abet illegal aliens.”
They also demanded that the group preserve documents “related to any expenditures submitted for reimbursement from the federal government related to migrants encountered at the southern border.”
Rep. Tom Tiffany also demanded that Catholic Charities USA testify before the House Judiciary Committee about its activities along the southern border.
Other Catholic organizations, such as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), have also come under scrutiny regarding their operations. Others have been accused of educating illegal aliens about the immigration process to avoid deportation.
Meanwhile, the DOJ has not officially responded to the complaint, including if it intends to investigate the charitable organization. However, Catholic Charities USA denies trafficking illegal immigrants, saying it only helps vulnerable individuals within the law.
Nonetheless, Catholic organizations and personalities have clashed with the Trump administration over its attempts to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), cut USAID funding, and deport illegal immigrants.
Trump’s Migration and Refugee Services aid cut has left Catholic charities unable to “care for the thousands of refugees who were welcomed into our country,” according to the USCCB Archbishop Timothy Broglio. USCCB has subsequently filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia against the Trump administration over the funding freeze.
Nothing new. It’s why I stopped giving to them 15 years ago. Nothing unique. Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, Jews, Episcopalians are complicit.