Border shelters could be the target of mass deportations

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Dozens of border shelters run by aid groups on the U.S. border with Mexico have welcomed large numbers of migrants, providing lifelines of support and relief to overwhelmed cities. They work closely with the Border Patrol to care for migrants released with notices to appear in immigration court, many of whom don’t know where they are or how to find the nearest airport or bus station.

But Republican scrutiny of the shelters is intensifying, and President-elect Donald Trump’s allies consider them a magnet for illegal immigration. Many are nonprofits that rely on federal funding, including $650 million under one program last year alone.

The incoming Trump administration has pledged to carry out an ambitious immigration agenda, including a campaign promise of mass deportations. The new White House’s potential playbook includes using the National Guard to arrest migrants and installing buoy barriers on the waters between the U.S. and Mexico.

As part of that agenda, Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, has vowed to review the role of nongovernmental organizations and whether they helped open “the doors to this humanitarian crisis.” Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who along with Elon Musk was tapped by Trump to find ways to cut federal spending, has signaled that the groups are in his sights and called them “a waste of taxpayer dollars.”

“Americans deserve transparency on opaque foreign aid & nonprofit groups betting our own border crisis,” Ramaswamy said last month in a post on X.
The Trump administration did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

The developments have alarmed immigration advocates and some officials in border communities, including Republicans, who say those communities can collapse without shelter space or a budget to pay for humanitarian costs.

Aid groups deny that they are aiding illegal immigration. They say they are responding to emergencies raised on border towns and performing humanitarian work.

“The groundwork is being laid here in Texas for a larger assault on nonprofits that are just trying to protect people’s civil rights,” said Rochelle Garza, president of the Texas Civil Rights Project, an advocacy group.

The Mexican plan against Trump: A mobile app, more shelters at the border, and greater containment of migrants.