As first reported by the Houston Chronicle, Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, issued an order this week suspending federal grants for municipalities and nonprofits that assist asylum-seekers with food, shelter, clothing, and other necessities, including Catholic Charities. The order alleges that these organizations are illegally encouraging border crossers and harboring individuals in the country without authorization, while overlooking the other vital activities these NGOs provide, such as offering food to anyone in need, like the Catholic Charities Archdiocese of San Antonio, Inc. Citing concerns that the funds may be used for “illegal activities, such as encouraging or inducing illegal immigration… or the unlawful harboring of undocumented individuals.”
Noem also said in a Fox News interview, “When somebody said NGO to me, I thought that [was] a nonprofit telling somebody about Jesus or spreading faith and salvation. Then I realized over the years, it’s been perverted into this shadow government.”
According to the Houston Chronicle, Antonio Fernandez, president and CEO of Catholic Charities, said in 2023, “Without this money, I don’t know if any of us could do this. If we close that site, we’ll have a lot of people who may be in the streets of San Antonio.” The organization provided care for over 100,000 migrants at San Antonio’s migrant resource center, and now could be facing major changes due to this categorization as a “perverted NGO”. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a San Antonio Democrat, called this situation, the freeze: “sabotage.”
Meanwhile, Paxton has singled out several groups, including Annunciation House, a Catholic shelter in El Paso that he has accused of functioning as a “stash house” and engaging in human smuggling. The shelter received $381,000 from DHS last year. In response to Paxton’s actions, a judge previously condemned his efforts as “outrageous” and ruled that they violated state religious freedom laws, and the case is now before the Texas Supreme Court.
The trial against Annunciation House took place the past January 13, 2025, Amy Warr, an Austin-based attorney representing Annunciation House, argued that the Attorney General’s Office is using “rhetoric” rather than evidence in its appeal, and said Annunciation House’s activities don’t violate the state’s anti-harboring law, as first reported by El Paso Matters.
Wart sharply mentioned to the justices that “There has been no violation of the harboring statute because Annunciation House, an established Ministry of the Catholic Church, does not hide undocumented people from law enforcement. Hiding them is an element of the harboring statue.”
This case raises concerns due to the reported reliance on rhetoric rather than concrete evidence, which could undermine the credibility of the proceedings and influence the outcome of the Texas trial. Focusing more on persuasive language than on factual proof risks compromising the fairness and legal integrity of the case.