The Conundrum of Humanitarian Aid, the Cartels, and Immigration Law

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The multiplied sections and complexity of immigration law make for dense, confusing reading for many Americans. However, when those with understanding begin pointing out the failure of the Biden Administration to enforce the current law, giving section numbers where the law can be Googled, it doesn’t take long to realize there the devastating consequences spiraling out of control along the U.S.-Mexico border.

After Title 42 elapsed on May 11th, 2023, border patrol protocol resorted to Title 8, which defines several offenses in regard to alien immigrants entering the U.S. Smuggling, domestic transporting, harboring, encouraging/inducing, conspiracy, aiding or abetting alien immigrants are among the list in the Criminal Resource Manual.

For example, anyone who knowingly or with reckless disregard for the facts encourages, induces, smuggles, or domestically transports “unauthorized aliens” into the U.S. is not following the rule of law and is subject to criminal charges. It also denotes that under Title 8, entering the U.S. anywhere except a Port of Entry (POE) makes an individual automatically inadmissible.

O’Keefe Media Group recently reported that Casa Alitas received millions in federal funds for housing, transporting, and helping illegal immigrants and potential asylum seekers. However, seeking asylum has specific criteria to follow, namely validation of asylum claims by asylum officers and immigration judges, according to 8 USC 1225. According to the law they’re detained until that asylum claim is validated. Otherwise, transportation, housing, etc., is against the law.

A retired border agent spoke with Christian News Journal (CNJ) on conditions of anonymity but revealed witnessing the humanitarian groups place “supplies” along trails, in the middle of the desert near the border, then in a couple of hours, a group of immigrants would cross the border and access the supplies.

“You cannot tell me this is a coincidence,” he said. “They’re being fed information from the southside on where to place those supply drops.”

He suggested GPS coordinates could be transmitted by the cartels to the aid groups. He also told CNJ the Catholic Church and the Waldenses were largely funding NMD and GVS efforts to provide aid, reporting that NMD received $60,000 from the Waldenses during the last quarter.

Although the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) and humanitarian aid groups focus seems to be saving lives and providing an escape to those caught between the warring cartels by providing supplies where the gaps weren’t closed or holes were cut through the border wall, by doing so they are encouraging and inducing the illegal immigrants to break federal law.

Instead of steering the immigrants to a POE, the social media pages of No More Deaths (NMD) and Green Valley Samaritan  (GVS) show a reckless disregard for Title 8 immigration law. The pages are rife with photos of water, blankets, clothes, and food dropped along the wall. The organizations claim humanitarian aid isn’t a crime, but when it induces and encourages others to break the law, that’s debatable.

Leaked audio recordings of humanitarian aid groups collaborating efforts along the U.S. -Mexico border near Sasabe, Arizona, recently revealed a volunteer questioning going to the south side of the border to “see” what “they” are doing due to being “banned” from the area.

A volunteer named “Sally” said she had spoken with a friend who knew everyone in Sasabe, and they had promised to find out if going into Mexico was possible, although she indicated it might not be the best idea.

Disgraced immigration attorney Margo Cowan responded to the woman’s suggestion by telling the group they could make their own decisions; she wasn’t trying to influence them, but it wasn’t a good idea.

“You can’t leave in a place that’s not otherwise a port,” Cowan said, “It’s a crime, it’s a federal crime.”

Cowan went on to direct how they would get out of the U.S. legally but then added,

“I’m going to put on my criminal hat on right now. I represent a lot of cartel people that are on the other side,” Cowan continued. “Sasabe is a town that is wholly controlled by a cartel.”

The attorney elaborated on humanitarian activity that had once been allowed near the border in Sasabe, Mexico. She indicated the “Center” was near the border and “benign.” Then she added,

“It’s quite different when you go in to interrupt somebody’s business, which is what the cartel is.”

Cowan cautioned the volunteers, urging them against carrying out that suggestion, then added,

“I’m just telling you, I know that is an extremely dangerous place to be.”

A female volunteer spoke up, “Except if you get their buy-in,” to which Cowan replied,

“I don’t change my position. It’s extremely dangerous.

Robyn Spradlin is a freelance journalist working as a contributor for Christian News Journal covering news and politics on the national and state levels. She has worked as a copywriter for Victory News on the Victory Channel since 2022. Robyn has an BA in Communication Studies and MA in Journalism from Regent University and is a member of the Evangelical Press Association. She is an author, evangelistic minister and a musician. She lives in South Florida where she enjoys the outdoors when she’s not writing.