Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said federal grant funding to nongovernmental organizations accused of facilitating illegal immigration has been stopped, citing what she described as widespread abuse of taxpayer dollars and a failure to protect national security.

Noem made the announcement during an exchange with Fox News host Will Cain, where she outlined actions taken by the Department of Homeland Security to end federal support for NGOs she said were aiding illegal immigration into the United States.

“We are announcing that we have stopped all grant funding that's being abused by NGOs to facilitate illegal immigration into this country,” Noem said.

“So it's amazing to me the hundreds of millions of dollars that have been spent by the federal government that has been sent to NGOs to facilitate this invasion of our country.”

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Noem said the decision followed concerns about how federal grants were being used and whether they aligned with national security and immigration enforcement priorities.

She said her department is reassessing those funds to ensure they are not contributing to illegal activity.

“So I've taken action to stop that those funds, to re evaluate them, and to make sure that we're actually using the taxpayer dollars in a way that strengthens this country, that keeps us safe,” Noem said.

“So I think people are curious, when we look at grants that are given out by federal agencies, at how they're utilized, and that evaluation needs to be done.”

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She emphasized that the administration would not continue funding programs she said were contributing to illegal immigration.

“We're not spending another dime to help the destruction of this country,” Noem said.

“We're going to make sure that we follow through on what President Trump has promised, and that's to make sure that we're securing our border, departing those who are here illegally and committing criminal actions, and that our taxpayer dollars aren't spending, aren't spent to help it.”

Cain highlighted the scale of federal spending and the role NGOs play in migration flows across the Western Hemisphere. He said many Americans are unaware of the size and reach of the nonprofit networks involved.

“And Madam Secretary, I don't think people fully understand the role that NGOs play. Many NGOs play in facilitating illegal immigration,” Cain said.

“I just want to share these numbers with everybody up on this on the screen, as we spend over $380 million did in 2024 for sheltering and service programs for illegal immigrants.”

Cain also pointed to what he described as a coordinated system operating outside the United States.

“But the vast network of NGOs that help facilitate it through Panama, through Mexico, and make it a landing spot here in the United States, is a massive contributor here to illegal immigration,” he said.

Cain asked whether the federal funding for those activities had now been halted. “So what you're telling us today is that now stops, at least the federal funding of that stops?” he asked.

Noem confirmed that funding through the Department of Homeland Security had been stopped and described NGO operations she said extend beyond U.S. borders.

“Yes, through the Department of Homeland Security, we have stopped spending those dollars to fund those NGOs,” Noem said.

She added that the review process had revealed extensive operations abroad.

“And well, what's been so revealing is that many of these NGOs actually have infrastructure and operations set up in Mexico, on the on that side of the border, that are telling those illegal immigrants to come to them and they will get them across the border.”

Noem said the NGOs involved are not limited to domestic activity.

“So they're not just operating in the United States,” she said.

“They're operating outside of the United States to help make it easier for those who want to break our laws.”

She also described how her view of NGOs changed over time, based on what she said she has observed while in government.

“And and while I was one of those Americans that years ago when somebody said NGO to me, I thought, Oh, that's amazing. That's a nonprofit that's out there telling somebody about Jesus or spreading faith and salvation or doing good work and charitable work helping people that are less fortunate,” Noem said.

She said that perception shifted as she reviewed how some NGOs operate today.

“And then I realized over the years, it's been perverted into this shadow government,” Noem said.

“An NGO is sometimes an operation that does things that the government cannot do, can't legally do.”

Noem concluded by saying those organizations are being used to bypass legal limits on federal authority.

“So they create an entity to use government dollars, taxpayer dollars, to do something that the federal government isn't allowed to do, to do a shadow government operation that really has been used recently to undermine our country's national security,” she said.

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