Barry Horowitz

A coalition of religious leaders from New York City is mobilizing to travel to Washington DC, aiming to compel lawmakers to address the pressing asylum seeker crisis. Led by Pastor Edward-Richard Hinds, president of the 67th Precinct Clergy Council dubbed “The Godsquad,” the group consists of 55 leaders representing various faiths from across the city’s five boroughs, NY Post reported.

Expressing deep concern over the migrant crisis affecting their communities, Pastor Hinds emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that it impacts everyone and requires immediate attention. Currently, New York City is grappling with the care of approximately 65,000 asylum seekers distributed among over 200 makeshift shelters and tent cities, imposing a financial burden of around $10 billion through the next fiscal year.

Despite meager federal assistance amounting to less than $150 million, coupled with budget cuts to city agencies by the administration, faith leaders are determined to seek bipartisan support for comprehensive immigration reform and a streamlined worker authorization program. Their objective is to advocate for practical solutions to alleviate the strain on local resources and ensure a humane response to the crisis.

Scheduled meetings with Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, as well as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, highlight the group’s concerted effort to engage policymakers from across the political spectrum. Emphasizing the pivotal role of houses of worship in community support, Pastor Hinds stressed the collective responsibility to aid cities like New York in addressing the challenges posed by the influx of asylum seekers.

The initiative aligns with Mayor Eric Adams’ persistent call for New Yorkers to lobby for federal assistance in tackling the crisis, which has seen over 180,000 asylum seekers passing through NYC. Acknowledging the advocacy of faith leaders, Mayor Adams commended their efforts to secure funding, expedited work authorization, and national coordination to address this critical juncture in the city’s history.

The trip symbolizes a collaborative approach, reflecting both governmental and community-driven efforts to confront the asylum seeker crisis and underscore the resilience of New York City in facing complex challenges.

Meanwhile, on the border  religious affiliated NGO’S have come under scrutiny for their role in facilitating migration, using taxpayer dollars to help move the illegals comfortably  around the country, to localities such as NYC which are themselves strapped for cash.

As the Center for Immigration Studies recently reported, a United Nations-led “Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP)” calls for more than 200 nonprofit groups to dole out $1.6 billion in cash debit cards, food, clothing, medical treatment, shelter, and even “humanitarian transportation” during 2024 to millions of U.S.-bound immigrants in 17 Latin American nations and Mexico.

A follow-up CIS examination of the more than 30 faith-based nonprofits among those UN NGO partners — representing Jewish, Lutheran, Seventh Day Adventist, Catholic, and nondenominational evangelical organizations — shows that the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have been mainlining taxpayer funds to these groups, which then distribute them to keep hundreds of thousands of migrants comfortably moving toward illegal U.S. southern border crossings , Center for Immigration Studies reported

HIAS. A prime example is the self-described “Jewish American” nonprofit organization HIAS of Silver Spring, Md. which has pledged $17.1 million in aid to immigrants in at least seven Latin American nations during 2024, the UN’s RMRP planning documents show. It turns out that in FY 2022, 47 percent of revenue reported by HIAS came as grants from government agencies, the majority from the State Department, but some also from the Department of Homeland Security, according to the group’s tax filings and other sources.