Volunteer from Tucson Samaritans is seen holding open hole in border fence and encouraging migrants to walk through as Republicans demand probe into the NGOs ‘facilitating the crisis’
Tucson Samaritans volunteers were caught on camera holding open a hole in a border fence and waving migrants through, according to a congressman who is now demanding an investigation into NGOs that help migrants enter the US illegally.
Rep. Tom Tiffany said the organization, along with Green Valley-Sahuarita Samaritans, “supports illegal immigration” by helping the large numbers of foreigners arriving in America every day.
Video shows a volunteer holding open a hole in the fence at the U.S. border with Mexico in Arizona as a steady stream of migrants pass through.
The man appears to be filming while five asylum seekers squeeze through one by one.
The footage then shows them being loaded into cars with bags and driven away.
Tucson Samaritans and Green Valley-Sahuarita Samaritans have been accused of aiding illegal immigration after a video emerged showing what is believed to be one of their volunteers holding open a hold in the border fence to let migrants through.
The images were taken at the US border with Mexico in Arizona, the place where thousands of illegal crossings took place
Republican Tom Tiffany accused the NGOs of violating Title 8, USC 1324(a), which makes it a misdemeanor for anyone who encourages or brings an alien to the US.
Republicans are demanding answers from the NGOs they say are aiding and abetting the crisis
Rep. Tiffany said the migrants were transported to an encampment in the Coronado National Forest.
“Title 8, USC 1324(a) makes it a violation for anyone who encourages or brings an alien into the United States,” he wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Congress must take action and investigate these NGOs.”
Tiffany is now demanding an investigation from the DOJ after visiting one of the migrant camps.
“These NGOs are actively facilitating illegal immigration without fear that the Biden administration will crack down on them,” he told DailyMail.com.
“They are breaking the law and many are receiving taxpayer dollars to carry out the Biden border invasion. Congress must investigate these organizations.”
He also shared photos posted by the Green Valley-Sahuarita Samaritans that he said showed them “bragging” about the tent camps.
When contacted by DailyMail.com, the NGOs insisted they were being ‘misrepresented’.
“The message from Wisconsin Rep. Tom Tiffany is a misrepresentation.
“As an organization that has existed for more than two decades, we work to alleviate suffering and prevent deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border.
‘The situation with asylum seekers presents challenges for everyone to respond in a humane, legal manner.
‘This is what we do.’
The groups say their actions are being “misrepresented.” They say their goal is to “alleviate the suffering” of those who cross the border illegally
Tiffany is now calling for a DOJ investigation into the role of NGOs in the border crossings, which affect up to 1,000 per day
Tiffany said the migrants were transported to an encampment in the Coronado National Forest
The nonprofit states that its mission is “to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in the Arizona-Sonora border area” and later claims that “humanitarian assistance is never a crime.
Meanwhile, Tucson Samaritans says it is “providing water, food, first aid and other essentials to migrants crossing the border in southern Arizona.”
Up to 1,000 people cross the border into Arizona every day, and more than 250,000 encounters with migrants have been reported in Tucson in the past fiscal year to date.
More broadly, the Border Patrol encountered a record 250,000 migrants entering the U.S. through Mexico in December.
A video taken in San Diego on Friday showed a mass release onto the streets of migrants from Border Patrol custody.
Those freed included people from Peru, Colombia and India who were hoping to travel to Atlanta and Minneapolis for work, according to Fox journalist Bill Melugin.
In recent months, Republicans have called for an investigation into the role of NGOs in helping migrants at the border.
Tiffany was among a group of GOP representatives who wrote to Catholic Charities USA, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services and Jewish Family Service of San Diego to express their concerns.
“While Americans suffer the consequences of unprecedented chaos at the border, NGOs continue to profit from exploiting our immigration laws.
Congressman Tiffany has previously written to NGOs informing them of his intention to investigate the assistance they provide to asylum seekers.
The NGOs state on their websites that they provide humanitarian aid to those who have made the treacherous journey through the desert
It comes the same day a bus full of migrants was dropped off on the streets of San Diego after being released from Border Patrol custody
“Taxpayers should not subsidize any organization that facilitates the movement of illegal immigrants across our border.
“When NGOs transport unauthorized aliens into the country’s interior, it becomes increasingly difficult for federal immigration enforcement agencies to monitor their whereabouts and protect our communities,” the letter said.
The message confirmed that the House would “continue to investigate your organization’s role in facilitating the border crisis, your potential violations of federal law, and your misuse of taxpayer funds.”
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden is considering an immigration crackdown that would close the border if more than 8,500 people try to cross in a single day, a law that former President Donald Trump has repeatedly used.
If the migrant crisis were to reach these numbers per day, the law would unilaterally impose a sweeping ban at the southern border, according to three people familiar with the deliberations.
Tucson Samaritans said in a statement: “The message from Wisconsin Rep. Tom Tiffany is a misrepresentation.
“As an organization that has existed for more than two decades, we work to alleviate suffering and prevent deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border.
‘The situation with asylum seekers presents challenges for everyone to respond in a humane, legal manner. This is what we do.’
DailyMail.com has contacted Green Valley-Sahuarita Samaritans for comment.