Charities Profiteering from Sheltering Central Americans

By Joe Guzzardi
September 17, 2014

With Capitol Hill focused on how to fight back against ISIS, this summer’s Central American surge has slowly faded from the headlines. Despite the July White House pledges President Obama made to Central American leaders that most border crossers would eventually be returned to their native countries, they’re still in the U.S. and unlikely to ever go home. Many have secured pro-bono lawyers, reunited with their illegal alien families, and the children among them are enrolled in school.

Reports of the women and children fleeing violence and poverty generated tremendous national media sympathy, much of it deservedly so. But the surge has a back story that’s far from heartwarming.  So-called charities and nonprofits are draining millions in federal tax dollars to support not only the illegal immigrants but to also enrich themselves. Many of the major religious denominations including most prominently Catholic, Lutheran and Baptist organizations have tapped the federal treasury for small fortunes to shelter illegal immigrants.

According to a Time exposé, since December Baptist Child and Family Service (now officially known as BCFS) has received $280 million to help operate two permanent and six temporary shelters it maintains in California and Texas. Health and Human Services approved a single grant to BCFS for $191 million on July 7, two days before Obama met with BCFS president Kevin Dinnin.  BCFS is the largest recipient of monies distributed to contractors who provide for alien children.

A week after Dinnin and Obama met, BCFS secured a $50 million contract to purchase the now infamous Palm Aire Resort Hotel in Texas. The Palm Aire would have provided about 600 illegal alien juveniles age 11-17 with tennis courts, saunas, swimming pools, a picnic area and a fitness center. Moreover, the employee to resident ratio was projected at slightly over 1:1 with 650 workers on staff earning from $10 to $45 an hour. When you’re playing with someone else’s money, as BCFS was, worrying about controlling overhead is someone else’s problem. Once the Palm Aire scam became public, BCFS pulled out. But its intent to spend recklessly had already been documented.

Based on information provided by HHS’s Administration for Children and Families, federal grant money for sheltering illegal immigrant children has exceeded $670 million for fiscal year 2014 with BCFS the largest beneficiary.

Some of the too generous funding also enriches charity administrators. Dinnin earns nearly $500,000 annually, a handsome wage even when measured by Wall Street standards. Four other BCFS administrators take home more than $200,000. The median salary for nonprofit CEO’s is $285,000, according to the invaluable Charity Navigator which describes itself as a “guide to sensible giving.”
 

Americans might logically expect that in exchange for the princely sums they’ve paid for humanitarian works, they might at least be entitled to know where the children are housed. Disappointingly, no one will reveal that most basic information. Inquiries made directly to the agencies are referred to HHS which remains tight-lipped. At best, spokesmen give innocuous replies saying that the children’s right to privacy must be protected.

Despite the inference that charity is at work, what’s truly going on is another massive federal illegal immigration subsidy. Real charity is funded by passing the collection plate at the Sunday service, mailing in the envelopes with personal checks enclosed, and holding bake sales—not tapping into taxpayer funds for multimillions especially when those taxpayers have no voice in how their money is spent.

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Joe Guzzardi is a Californians for Population Stabilization Senior Writing Fellow whose columns have been nationally syndicated since 1987. Contact him at [email protected]