Rep. Lance Gooden is demanding more information from the nonprofit youth shelter organization Covenant House, accusing one of its facilities of housing Jose Ibarra, who is charged with killing a Georgia nursing student. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images | Clarke County Sheriffs Office)
"Covenant House does not sponsor the entry of any migrants into the United States. It is neither a policy nor a practice. Covenant House New York did not sponsor Jose Antonio Ibarra’s entry into the country and has not done so for any other person," a spokesperson said.
"We do not know how our address came to be on his form, but there have been and continue to be instances when our address is given at the border. We have not been contacted by ICE/DHS regarding this matter, nor have we ever been contacted by them about the use of Covenant House’s name on a form at the border."
Gooden wrote to Covenant House CEO Bill Bedrossian earlier Tuesday, "According to CBP documents, after illegally crossing into El Paso, Jose Antonio Ibarra provided The Covenant House, a federally funded NGO in New York, as his sponsor address. These NGOs receive hundreds of millions in taxpayer funding per year through a left-wing loophole designed to circumvent a federal law that prevents tax dollars from funding illegal immigration."
"I have been fighting to hold NGOs like Covenant House accountable for years. Their usage of federal funds to traffic millions of migrants is unacceptable and has now become deadly."
GEORGIA NURSING STUDENT FOUND DEAD ON UGA CAMPUS IDENTIFIED AS LAKEN RILEY
Augusta University students, in blue, and University of Georgia students gather at the Tate Plaza on the UGA campus in Athens, Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, to pay tribute to Laken Riley. (Nell Carroll/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
"Instead of prioritizing the safety and security of American citizens, the Biden administration has chosen to prioritize the interests of illegal immigrants, providing them with sanctuary and support at the expense of taxpayers," Gooden wrote.
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"Covenant House and other federally funded NGOs must provide accountability and allow oversight from Congress. Failure to do so will result in swift action in the form of subpoenas."
Gooden's letter does not indicate when Ibarra supposedly used the Covenant House address in New York. It's also not uncommon for migrants who first arrive in the U.S. to list a shelter as their place of residence.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
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