Gaetz to introduce bill cutting off federal aid to groups helping illegal immigrants enter US

FIRST ON FOX: Nonprofit groups that assist illegal immigrants would be cut off from federal grant money under the terms of a bill introduced Thursday by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.

"NGOs and non-profits serve as the foot soldiers for the Biden-Harris administration's mass-migration policies by helping illegal aliens cross the border and stay here for years after illegally," Gaetz said in a statement previewed exclusively by Fox News Digital. "My legislation, the BARRIER Act, will strip these organizations of their federal funding, which can be used to assist those who break federal law."

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Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

The bill, Blocking Assistance and Resources to Restrict Illegal Entry and Residency (BARRIER) Act, which Gaetz is expected to introduce Thursday, is co-sponsored by Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Mary Miller, R-Ill., Eric Burlison, R-Mo., Randy Weber, R-Texas, Troy Nehls, R-Texas, Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., and Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.

The Florida Republican said his BARRIER Act would also penalize organizations helping immigrants who are already living in the U.S. unlawfully.

"The federal government should not be financing the destruction of its own country," said Gaetz, who is running for re-election to a fifth term in Congress.

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Texas National Guard troops watch over more than 1,000 immigrants who crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico on Dec. 18, 2023, in Eagle Pass. (John Moore/Getty Images)

If enacted, immigration groups like the National Immigration Law Center, American Immigration Council and CASA would likely lose their federal grants.

Illegal immigration and the crisis at the southern border are among the top issues for voters this election cycle. Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants with sex offenses and homicide convictions could be loose on the streets, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement data provided to lawmakers last week.

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A Border Patrol agent guides migrants to a van to be taken to a processing center on Feb. 4, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images)

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The Biden administration came under fire for releasing many migrants who came to the U.S. border into the interior, which coincided with a sharp drop in deportations as it focused on prioritizing public safety and national security threats. There were 142,580 removals in fiscal 2023, up considerably from 72,177 in fiscal 2022 and 59,011 in fiscal 2021, but still down from the highs of 267,258 under the Trump administration in fiscal 2019.

The number of illegal immigrants on the nondetained docket, meanwhile, has soared from 3.7 million in fiscal 2021 to nearly 4.8 million in fiscal 2022 to more than 7 million in fiscal 2023.

Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw contributed to this report.