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New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
How ‘charities,' funded by your tax dollars, helped break immigration law
When violent riots erupted across Los Angeles in defiance of President Trump's efforts to enforce federal immigration law, the uprising was not as spontaneous as open-borders politicians would have you believe. Far-left non-governmental organizations, including the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), helped provide transportation and services to those going to the protests in support of illegal immigration, many of which quickly devolved into brutal attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As it turns out, CHIRLA received nearly $34 million in California state grants from June 2022 to June 2023. Advertisement From October 2021 to September 2024, under the Biden-Harris administration, the group also received $450,000 in grants from the Department of Homeland Security. But this pattern of incentivizing lawless behavior at taxpayers' expense isn't an isolated case — it is an example of the extensive partnership of open-borders activists and their allies in the Biden-Harris administration, and Americans are still paying the cost. On Wednesday, my Committee will examine this pattern and its impacts in a hearing featuring testimony from Mike Howell of the Oversight Project, human trafficking expert Ali Hopper, and veteran border and riot correspondent Julio Rosas. Advertisement Every one of these witnesses has seen up close how these organizations work with Democrat officials and open-borders policies to advance a pro-illegal immigration agenda — from how NGOs help incentivize cartel human smuggling across our borders and participate in the final mile of this illicit activity, to how they work with far-left rioters opposing ICE enforcement in our streets today. Over the last four years, the Biden-Harris administration's catch-and-release policies allowed more than 13 million to cross our borders, including gang members, criminals and suspected terrorists. From the early days of the historic border crisis, Biden and Harris' DHS released these inadmissible aliens to a vast network of NGOs, particularly those operating at the border. These groups received billions of taxpayer dollars from DHS and the Department of Health and Human Services to provide all manner of services to illegal aliens once they were released from U.S. Customs and Border Protection or ICE custody including legal services, lodging, and transportation to the destination of their choice. Advertisement These NGOs not only incentivized illegal entry, however — they actively participated in completing the human smuggling chain begun by the cartels outside our borders. The evidence of this NGO industrial complex is incontrovertible. A groundbreaking 2022 study using mobile-device data showed that NGOs were serving as a launching pad for illegal aliens to disperse throughout the country. In a 2023 transcribed interview with the Committee, then-Chief Patrol Agent for the Del Rio Sector Jason Owens described how NGOs were complicit in funneling millions of inadmissible aliens into the country, saying, 'A large portion of [the aliens] were being given parole and … ICE would then turn them over to NGOs for them to travel to wherever they were going to go while they await their hearing.' Advertisement In March, the Committee opened an investigation into the mayors of Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago — sanctuary cities that helped funnel funding to numerous far-left NGOs during the border crisis. Last month, the Committee expanded its probe to more than 200 NGOs across the country that are suspected of using taxpayer funds to support or benefit from illegal immigration. NGOs like CHIRLA, Catholic Charities USA, Make the Road New York, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Haitian Bridge Alliance, Global Refuge, Southwest Key Programs, and Endeavors all received letters requesting information on how they spent government funds during the crisis and how they may have used those dollars to encourage and facilitate illegal immigration. The near-total lack of accountability for how the taxpayer dollars given to NGOs were spent under the Biden-Harris administration is unacceptable. In March 2023, the DHS Office of Inspector General reported that an audit could not account for more than half of the DHS funding that the OIG reviewed, due to lack of proper documentation by these groups. The overall funding to these NGOs was immense. The Biden border crisis was good for business, as many NGOs saw their annual revenues rise significantly during the Biden-Harris administration. Advertisement For example, it was reported that three prominent NGOs that assisted illegal aliens went from making a combined $597 million in revenue in 2019 to $3 billion just three years later in 2022 — an increase of 400%. One NGO, Southwest Key Programs, received more than $2 billion under the previous administration to provide services for unaccompanied alien children. However, an HHS OIG report found that Southwest Key leadership may have improperly benefited from the deal, with one top employee receiving a 280% increase in salary by Fiscal Year 2023 to $1.2 million. Last summer, the federal government sued Southwest Key, alleging that employees engaged in a pattern of sexual abuse and harassment against the children in its shelters and failed to take sufficient action to protect the children in its care. Advertisement Under the Trump administration, HHS has stopped all placement of unaccompanied alien children in Southwest Key facilities. Another NGO, Endeavors, received sole-source, no-bid ICE contracts under Biden and Harris, despite having no experience as a lead contractor for shelter services. The non-profit received more than $2 billion in federal contracts under the Biden-Harris administration. In 2023, Andrew Lorenzen-Strait, a senior director at Endeavors and former ICE employee under the Biden administration, admitted in an undercover video that he used his previous connections with Biden's 2020 transition team to help facilitate the contacts. Advertisement While the Trump administration has successfully re-secured our borders and is working to put the abuse of taxpayer dollars under the Biden-Harris administration behind us, a lot of damage has already been done — and the money has already been spent. American taxpayer dollars were laundered through Biden and Harris' DHS to these 'non-profits,' who then used those dollars to undermine the laws of the same government giving them funding. Congress must ensure the NGOs and far-left officials that benefited from and contributed to the worst border crisis in American history are held accountable. Advertisement As many of these same NGOs fight the Trump administration's efforts to restore law and order, we must be vigilant that they never again receive a business opportunity like the Biden border crisis. Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK), is the chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability.
Los Angeles Times
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Pepe Aguilar drops new song for immigrant rights: ‘I'm not making a cent off this song'
Storied Mexican singer Pepe Aguilar is using his platform to elevate the struggle and celebrate the dignity of the immigration experience in the U.S. with his latest single, 'Corrido de Juanito.' The track, which dropped Friday, explores the societal and emotional trials of being far from home while attempting to make the best of life. The song was originally written and recorded by former Calibre 50 vocalist and accordionist Edén Muñoz in 2017. Aguilar's take on the song comes at a time when its message takes on a heavier meaning as Immigration and Customers Enforcement agents have increased their presence in Los Angeles under the directive of President Trump. The 'Por Mujeres Como Tú' singer's track with a message also acts as a monetary service to the immigrant community of L.A. All the proceeds from the song will go to the immigrant rights organization Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA). 'I'm not making a cent off this song. We're giving away everything, not only from the song, but from my latest released album,' Aguilar told The Times following the single's release. '[CHIRLA] is helping immigrants to fight this battle legally and peacefully and respectfully. That's why I created this song, and that's why I decided to donate whatever it makes and whatever my album makes, for the time that it's more valuable.' The advocacy group focuses on the human and civil rights of immigrants and refugees in L.A. and throughout the state of California. Its services include free and low-cost legal services and community education. 'We thank Pepe Aguilar for using his voice and platform to defend and support the immigrant community that is foundational to their fan base,' CHIRLA executive director Angelica Salas said in a statement. 'Thank you for your invaluable support and for uplifting the presence and contributions of immigrants in the U.S.' Following the onset of the ICE raids in June, the 56-year-old Grammy winner posted a message on Instagram in support of the immigrant community. 'I'm not going to fight the system; I'm going to peacefully resist it with art, with memory, with culture, with tradition, with respect,' said in the June 7 social media video. In the same post, he announced that he would be working on a version of the song that was released today. Aguilar, who is headlining at the Hollywood Bowl on Aug. 15 and 16, first heard the song at an awards show around the time of its initial release and felt deeply impacted by its message. 'I was really touched by the lyrics and the truthfulness of the song,' Aguilar said Friday morning. 'I had a lump in my throat when I first heard it and then it was a hit.' Flash forward to 2025 and he revisited the Calibre 50 track while singing bohemias with his family at his daughter's house a few months back. 'Something called me in at that party to sing the song and I had never sang it before,' he said. 'I didn't know what it felt like to sing the song and when I sang it, I loved the way it sounded.' It was after that experience that he knew he needed to record his own version. 'Now, with everything going on with all these deportations and with immigration, I think it's a song that applies tremendously to create consciousness around this subject and to portray a reality that is lived by millions,' Aguilar said. 'There are millions of Juanitos that are unable to go back home or unable to go to their loved ones funerals and are afraid of being deported, but at the same time they are working and helping the engine of America to remain stable.' Aguilar channels the pain of homesickness and the worry of becoming forgotten that immigrants face on the daily. 'It's been almost 14 years since I've gone back to the land I was born,' Aguilar sings in the single's opening lines. 'Everything has now changed, I beg God that they don't forget about me.' The 'Perdonóme' vocalist shared a direct message to the people currently being most affected by the ongoing ICE raids. 'No están solos, we care for you, and when I mean 'we,' I'm talking about everybody that understands your situation, not only Mexicans, but I have a lot of friends that are not Mexican, even a lot of full-blooded Americans, who are tremendously worried about what's going on,' Aguilar said. '[A] lot of associations want to do something about this unfair situation, a tremendously unfair and historically unfair for a country like the U.S. I believe in the principles that created the United States, and I hope that those principles are used in this tremendously sad situation.'
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘If You Support Anything, Let It Be Justice': Tom Morello Talks ICE Protest Song ‘Pretend You Remember Me'
Tom Morello has been raging against the machine for the entirety of his music-making career — and perhaps even before. So there was no question, and there should be no surprise, that the Rage Against the Machine guitarist would address the Trump administration's frenzied deportation efforts, particularly in Los Angeles, in song. Morello has released the hard-hitting 'Pretend You Remember Me' in coordination with the Coalition For Humane Immigrant Rights Los Angeles (CHIRLA), a Los Angeles County-based organization that was founded in 1986 and operates a hotline, legal services and other resources focused on its mission to protect the area's immigrant community. 'Releasing this song now is in direct response to what we've seen happening, the state terror we've seen happening in this country of mass agents tearing families apart,' Morello tells Billboard. Recent ICE raids in and around Los Angeles, as well as the federal government sending National Guard troops and U.S. Marines into Los Angeles as part of its campaign only stroked the guitarist/activist's, well, rage. More from Billboard Dolly Parton Puts Songwriting 'On Hold' Following Husband's Death Benny Blanco on Wedding With Selena Gomez: 'It'll Be Chill' 'Pride & Prejudice' Film Soundtrack Bewitches the Charts With 20th-Anniversary Vinyl Reissue 'I was on the front lines in the battles of the Marines and cops and ICE in the streets of Los Angeles,' he says, 'and blasting out of every car were Rage songs. On placards held up at every rally are the lyrics from Rage songs — some of the Nightwatchman music I played in the streets, too. So playing this music at this time felt like it was absolutely appropriate to do. 'Like anybody else, I'm all in favor of violent criminals being arrested — but I think we should start with the violent criminals who the International Criminal Court is seeking for their wars overseas rather than hard-working people who are just trying to make a decent life for their families here. If you support anything, let it be justice. 'The reason why you saw one of the biggest protests in the history of the U.S. (against the ICE raids in Los Angeles) is there is a real fear that American fascism is about to kick down our door. We're not at the brink of it; we're in the middle of it. The good news is tens of millions of people were out in the streets protesting it. The band news is it's real. Fortunately there are a lot more of us than there are of them — that's something we tend to forget.' 'Pretend You Remember Me' is slated for what Morello — who served as musical director for the recent Back to the Beginning Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne farewell concert in England — calls 'my first solo rock album,' which he expects to have out next year via Mom+Pop Music. It follows 'Soldier in the Army of Love,' which came out during June of 2024. 'I continue to write and record,' he says. 'I definitely want to have more new music out this year as I continue to tour. My rock albums have mostly been band efforts (with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave) or they've been hybrid albums, like the three Atlas Underground records with a lot of guest artists and weaving in kind of EDM threads. I've made four acoustic Americana records under the name the Nightwatchman that are near and dear to my heart. And I've made rock albums with Bruce Springsteen and Prophets of Rage. 'The reason why this (rock album) is manifesting now is that over the course of the last three years I've been touring and embracing the totality of my catalog. That's steered me towards making (rock) music of my own.' Morello says to expect 'some shredding guitar solos on it. On the one hand is the big Morello riffage of Rage and Audioslave; on other hand is a kind of Springsteen, Darkness on the Edge of Town vibe. ('Pretend You Remember Me') falls comfortably in between those.' Morello — who played on Springsteen's Wrecking Ball and High Hopes albums and toured as an E Street Band sub during 2013-14 — is also backing The Boss' critical concert comments about Trump and his administration during his recent European tour. 'Bruce and I have texted about the ongoing stuff. I know he's stood strong while he's performing overseas, that he stood strong every day, and I'm very supportive of that.' Morello is currently playing shows in Canada, with two shows at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom coinciding with the release of 'Pretend You Remember Me.' He'll also perform at the Rocklahoma Festival on Aug. 30 in Pryor, Okla., with more Canadian shows on his schedule in October and November. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
New York Post
24-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
House Judiciary Committee opens probe into CHIRLA's possible role in LA riots
The House Judiciary Committee is investigating whether an activist organization with ties to the Democratic Party that received nearly $1 million in grants under the Biden administration used the funds to foment the anti-ICE riots that ripped through Los Angeles earlier this month. In a letter obtained exclusively by The Post addressed to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), the committee details the taxpayer-funded grants doled out to the group by the federal government between 2021 and 2023. 3 The riots kicked off June 8 after immigration authorities did a sweep in Los Angeles, netting around 150 arrests. Toby Canham for NY Post Advertisement 'This raises concerns that CHIRLA may be using federal funds to support violent criminal activity that impedes the enforcement of federal immigration law,' the letter states in reference to the funds, which ostensibly were paid out to support things like 'citizenship instruction and naturalization services' and 'innovations in citizenship education.' The letter is signed by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), as well as Reps. Tom McClintock (R-CA) and Andy Biggs (R-AZ), the chairmen of two subcommittees. The committee is requesting CHIRLA turn over 'all documents and communications' related to any federal funds the group received, as well as a detailed breakdown into how the funds were spent, including any supporting documentation. 3 More than 1,000 demonstrators took to the streets and clashed with federal agents and cops. Barbara Davidson/NYPost Advertisement It's also asking for an accounting of any financial contributions the group received or gave to any other non-governmental organizations between Jan. 20, 2021 and the present day, as well as any and all documents and communications 'referring or relating to protests against ICE, DHS, Customs and Border Protection, enforcement of immigration laws, or the Trump Administration's immigration policies,' dating from Jan. 20, 2025 to now. CHIRLA staged a rally as anti-ICE protests broke out in the city as federal authorities. The protests turned violent earlier this month after immigration agents hit a Home Depot in the LA suburb of Paramount — devolving into looting and assault on cops and federal agents. Advertisement Rioters defaced public buildings and torched cars in the streets. President Trump called in around 4,000 National Guard members and some 700 active-duty Marines to help quell the unrest. A CHIRLA spokesman previously said the group 'organized a press event on [June 5]' to protest the roundups and had 'been sending legal observers to immigration courts and detention centers on [June 6, 7 and 8] as part of the LA Rapid Response Network,' but denied being part of the protests beyond that. 'We have not participated, coordinated, or been part of the protests being registered in Los Angeles other than the press conference and rally cited above,' the rep said. Advertisement 3 Rioters looted businesses and burned cars in the streets. Toby Canham for NY Post According to financial records obtained by DataRepublican, CHIRLA received nearly $34 million in government grants, mostly from the state of California, in the fiscal year ending June 2023, a jump from the $12 million it received the previous year. The radical group also received around $450,000 in grants for 'citizenship education and training' between October 2021 and September 2024 from the DHS — the very agency the group was protesting earlier this month. However, under the Trump administration, the federal agency cut ties with the group and terminated any further funding in March, including clawing back nearly $101,000 that had yet to be paid out. Officials estimated the cost of the riots to LA taxpayers will exceed $30 million. The committee gave the group until July 8 to comply with its request. An email sent to CHIRLA's director of communications was not immediately returned.
Los Angeles Times
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello headlines immigrant rights benefit at Echoplex
After a weekend of raucous 'No Kings' protests across the country — especially throughout Los Angeles — immigrant activists in music have a new benefit show planned for tonight in Echo Park. Tom Morello, the guitarist of Rage Against the Machine and a longtime leftist and human rights advocate, will headline a sold-out show called 'Defend L.A.' set at the Echoplex on Monday in support of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). The show will feature like-minded peers including B-Real of Cypress Hill, Pussy Riot, and visual artist Shepard Fairey. The Neighborhood Kids, a rising young San Diego hip-hop group whose songs document the on-the-ground reality of communities under threat from immigration raids, will play its most prominent L.A. set to date there. Comedian George Lopez will host. Morello joined the recent anti-ICE marches in Los Angeles, where protest signs and slogans often echoed his band's radical-resistance lyrics and imagery. The singer-songwriter wore a guitar emblazoned with anti-ICE messaging onstage at the Boston Calling festival last month. While downtown L.A., a site of many heated protests, had been placed under a nighttime curfew, Saturday's 'No Kings' marches were broadly peaceful, with only 38 arrests in Los Angeles, mostly for curfew violations. After the marches, the Trump administration recently announced efforts to expand immigration raids in sanctuary cities like Los Angeles.
