Go woke, go broke.
On Tuesday, January 28, 2025, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt discussed Donald Trump’s accomplishments at her first press conference with reporters. A reporter asked her about Trump’s freeze on federal grants and financial assistance to nonprofits and other NGOs. The Trump administration has reportedly suspended all grant money until it has a chance to review whether those receiving federal funds are in line with the president’s priorities, including his executive orders on immigration.
The following question was put to Donald Trump’s press secretary:
• “Does the president intend to permanently cut off funding to NGOs that are bringing illegal foreign nationals into the country, such as Catholic Charities?” (Video)
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded in the affirmative:
• “I am actually quite certain that the president signed an executive order that did just that.” (Video)
Catholic charities and other aid organizations, such as the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), have received billions of dollars to assist immigrants heading to the southern border of the United States. [1] These organizations provide aid such as cash, credit cards, food vouchers, food items, housing, and medical care to immigrants heading north. ADRA has been receiving money from the government for years and has also used that money to pay for vouchers and food cards for immigrants traveling to America. [2]
The Trump administration has just suspended all money for NGOs because it believes that federal funds are being used to help illegal immigrants break the law. And it’s not just Trump who believes that. 55% of Americans support deporting all immigrants who are in the country illegally. [3]
This means that NGOs, such as ADRA, are seen as helping to facilitate the illegal entry of immigrants. By assisting migrants in their journey to the United States, many Americans see these organizations as helping to support human trafficking, child trafficking, and exploitation by cartels. In addition, Donald Trump campaigned and won the presidential election by expressing that illegal immigration places a burden on public resources, overburdens social services, and fosters resentment among legal immigrants who follow proper procedures, and more than half of the population supports him. [4]
There is no doubt that the migration crisis has become so politicized and polarized in our country. That is why ADRA and other NGOs have been defunded. NGOs should focus on humanitarian aid at the root of the problem, advocating for solutions in the countries from which migrants are fleeing. There is much work to be done there, and all parties would be in agreement if efforts were focused on the source.
This cutting off of funds by President Trump also highlights why ADRA and other church entities should keep their hands in their own pockets when it comes to federal funding. All monies from state or federal agencies always come with strings attached. And unfortunately, our church institutions have become notoriously progressive and woke, thanks to government money.
If ADRA wants to support immigrants traveling to the United States, it has the right to do so if it so chooses. But now they will have to provide those services out of their own pockets.
Sources
[1] https://www.thefp.com/p/nonprofits-make-billions-off-migrant-children
[2] https://interamerica.org/2022/04/in-honduras-adra-helps-hundreds-of-migrant-families-trekking-north/
[3] https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5093247-donald-trump-agenda-personality-survey/
[4] https://www.npr.org/2025/01/20/g-s1-43650/trump-inauguration-day-one-immigration
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