FIRST ON FOX: A nonprofit charity denies sponsoring a man who was recently charged with killing a Georgia nursing student after a Republican lawmaker accused the group of allowing him to use his federally funded resources after he illegally entered the US and before he allegedly committed the crime.
Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, sent a letter to Covenant House, a national network of shelters for homeless youth, claiming to have seen Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) documents that say José Ibarra, 26, used a New York facility as his Sponsor Address after crossing the border in September 2022.
Gooden questioned whether Covenant House was properly vetting people who came through its doors, whether Ibarra lied about supposedly staying there and whether the organization was encouraging immigrants to use their address on federal forms.
Covenant House told Fox News Digital that it did not sponsor Ibarra and denied having been contacted by federal authorities about him.
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Rep. Lance Gooden is demanding more information from the nonprofit youth shelter organization Covenant House, accusing one of its facilities of housing Jose Ibarra, accused of killing a Georgia nursing student. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images | Clarke County Sheriff's Office)
“Covenant House does not sponsor the entry of any migrant into the United States. It is neither a policy nor a practice. Covenant House New York did not sponsor the entry of José Antonio Ibarra into the country and has not done so for any other person,” said a spokesman.
“We do not know how our address came to appear on your form, but there have been and continue to be cases where our address is provided 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 the Covenant House name on a form at the border.”
Gooden wrote to Covenant House CEO Bill Bedrossian early Tuesday: “According to CBP documents, after crossing illegally into El Paso, José Antonio Ibarra provided The Covenant House, a federally funded NGO in New York , as their sponsor's address. These NGOs receive hundreds of millions in taxpayer funding annually through a left-wing loophole designed to circumvent a federal law that prevents tax dollars from funding illegal immigration.”
“I have been fighting for years to hold NGOs like Covenant House accountable. Their use of federal funds to traffic millions of immigrants is unacceptable and has now turned deadly.”
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A general view of the walking trail along Herrick Lake on the University of Georgia campus in Athens on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was found dead on the trail. (Sims Brand for Fox News Digital)
Ibarra is accused of murdering 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley, who was killed while jogging on the nearby University of Georgia campus.
His death has sparked renewed scrutiny over how effectively U.S. officials are screening migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border before allowing them entry, primarily to await immigration court proceedings.
In his letter, Gooden asked Covenant House how long Ibarra had stayed at its facility, if he did, and whether Covenant House coordinates with groups in Mexico to share his address with people trying to enter the U.S.
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Augusta University students, dressed in blue, and University of Georgia students gather at 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 of American citizens, the Biden administration has chosen to prioritize the interests of illegal immigrants, providing them shelter and support at the expense of taxpayers,” Gooden wrote.
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“Covenant House and other federally funded NGOs must be held accountable and allow for congressional oversight. Failure to do so will result in swift action in the form of subpoenas.”
Gooden's letter does not indicate when Ibarra allegedly used the Covenant House address in New York. It is also not uncommon for immigrants arriving in the United States for the first time to indicate a refuge as their place of residence.
