Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) has introduced federal legislation aimed at stripping tax-exempt status from nonprofits that repeatedly and knowingly assist illegal immigrants. Dubbed the Fixing Exemptions for Networks Choosing to Enable Illegal Migration (FENCE) Act, the bill targets organizations that engage in a pattern of providing financial aid, services, or material support to individuals they know are in the country illegally. Essentially, if a nonprofit wants to play political activist under the guise of charity, it should no longer expect the American taxpayer to subsidize its operations.
Hagerty made it clear that the federal government has no business funding groups that facilitate illegal immigration, much less granting them tax breaks. He pointed out that his bill aligns with executive orders signed by President Donald Trump, whose administration prioritized cutting off federal support for organizations that undermine U.S. immigration laws. According to Hagerty, this legislation would reinforce those efforts and provide a much-needed accountability mechanism for so-called charities that seem more interested in advancing the left’s open-border agenda than in actual humanitarian work.
“It’s absurd that our federal government has been giving tax exemptions and federal funding to NGOs that have helped facilitate record illegal immigration and carry out the far-left’s agenda, while cloaked as charities,” Hagerty stated. And he’s not wrong. For years, these groups have been funneling resources into efforts that encourage illegal crossings, often working hand-in-hand with the same politicians who claim to be concerned about border security. Meanwhile, law-abiding citizens foot the bill.
Hagerty also highlighted how President Trump’s executive order requiring a review of federal funding to these NGOs will help expose this long-standing problem. His legislation would take it a step further by ensuring these organizations lose their tax-exempt status entirely if they continue to aid and abet illegal immigration. In other words, if these groups want to bankroll an open-border free-for-all, they can do it without Uncle Sam’s financial blessing.
With record-breaking illegal crossings and the Biden administration showing little interest in stemming the tide, Hagerty’s bill represents a pushback against the relentless abuse of taxpayer resources. While Democrats cry foul and activists rush to claim victimhood, the reality is simple: Americans shouldn’t be forced to subsidize nonprofits that operate as de facto smuggling operations. If charities truly want to help, perhaps they should start by respecting the nation’s laws instead of actively undermining them.
