Southwest Key Programs, a nonprofit that previously ran the largest network of shelters for unaccompanied migrant children, took $3 billion in taxpayer cash under the Biden administration and subsequently hiked executives' salaries, according to a New York Post report.
Southwest Key operated more than two dozen facilities in Texas, Arizona, and California.
'Contacted the DOJ seeking clarity regarding its dismissal of the Southwest Key lawsuit.'
Based on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data, from fiscal years 2021 through 2024, the organization received billions of taxpayer funds to provide shelter services to foreign national children who crossed into the country without a parent or guardian.
During that same period, the nonprofit significantly increased the annual salaries of several higher-ups.
According to tax filings, the organization's vice president, Veronica Delgado-Savage, received a nearly 10% raise from $297,792 in 2021 to $326,086 in 2023. Chief information officer Andy Harper's pay surged 198%, from $214,356 to $637,806. Geraldo Rivera, senior vice president turned chief program officer, saw a 78% bump, from $312,791 to $555,998. Human resources chief Jose Arroyo-Davila's salary jumped 114%, from $308,694 to $661,298. CEO Anselmo Villarreal's pay soared 139%, from $491,642 to $1,174,551, over the same period.
The Post reported that 12 other senior employees received 10% to 112% raises. It further noted that all of the major pay bumps, including the executives, occurred during the first two years of former President Joe Biden's administration.
Meanwhile, the nonprofit was plagued with claims that some of its staffers had sexually abused children staying at its facilities between 2015 and 2023.
Southwest Key faced a lawsuit from the Biden administration's Department of Justice in 2024 over the allegations. The DOJ argued that its staff had "subjected unaccompanied alien children in its care to unlawful sexual harassment and abuse."
Southwest Key did not respond to a request for comment from the Post.
Last week, President Donald Trump's administration effectively forced the nonprofit to shut down, announcing that the federal government would no longer send children to live at its facilities. All of the children in its shelters were relocated.
The administration's Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice called it a "move to end sexual abuse and harassment."
However, at the same time, the administration pulled the federal lawsuit against Southwest Key.
As a result of the administration's actions, Southwest Key furloughed its employees.
Last week, the organization told Blaze News that it was "pleased" that the lawsuit had been dropped and "strongly denied the claims relating to child sexual abuse in our shelters," noting that there was "no settlement or payment required."
"At the same time, due to the unforeseen federal funding freeze and the stop placement order on our shelters for unaccompanied minors and Home Study Post Release programs by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, we had to make the difficult decision to furlough approximately 5,000 Southwest Key Programs employees. This decision impacts staff and programs across our nation," the statement read.
A spokesperson for Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told the Post, "It is disgusting that vulnerable children suffered sexual abuse under Southwest Key's watch. Senator Grassley has contacted the DOJ seeking clarity regarding its dismissal of the Southwest Key lawsuit and looks forward to a follow-up conversation soon."
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President Donald Trump has faced nearly a decade of lawfare, originating in many cases from the Department of Justice under the previous administration, which sought to lock up the Republican with two federal criminal prosecutions. To the chagrin of his critics, he has come out on top.
Thirty months after Attorney General Pam Bondi's Democratic predecessor authorized federal agents to storm his home in Florida, Trump — the man whom special counsel Jack Smith and various others proved unable to lock up or keep off the ballot — addressed the DOJ, delineating how it will go about "restoring law and order" over the next four years.
"We're turning the page on four long years of corruption, weaponization, and surrender to violent criminals," Trump said in what was the first political address from a president inside the department since 2014. "We are restoring fair, equal, and impartial justice under the constitutional rule of law."
After championing the efforts and capabilities of Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and other law enforcement officials in his administration, the president indicated that the DOJ is set for a revival that will see it restored as one of America's most revered institutions. Undoing the reputational damage inflicted by the previous administration will, however, require investigations, transparency, and accountability, suggested Trump.
"We must be honest about the lies and abuses that have occurred within these walls," said the president. "In recent years, a corrupt group of hacks and radicals within the ranks of the American government obliterated the trust and goodwill built up over generations. They weaponized the vast powers of our intelligence and law enforcement agencies to try and thwart the will of the American people."
Trump was not the leftist establishment's only perceived enemy vigorously targeted by the DOJ for ruination in recent years.
'They tried to turn America into a corrupt, communist, and third-world country.'
The department under Merrick Garland grossly weaponized the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act against peaceful pro-life protesters. While the FACE Act is supposed to protect access to churches and abortion facilities alike, the Biden DOJ used the law almost exclusively against pro-life activists, even when there was an increase in attacks by abortion radicals on churches and pro-life pregnancy centers following the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision.
The Biden DOJ also zealously prosecuted thousands of the majoritively peaceful individuals present at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, frequently pushing for severe sentences, and treated both concerned parents who spoke out at school board meetings and traditional Catholics as potential terrorists.
The Biden DOJ also made clear that Republicans would be held to a different standard than fellow travelers.
Whereas the Obama DOJ let former AG Eric Holder skate for contempt of Congress after he refused to turn over documents related to the Fast and Furious scandal, the Biden DOJ prosecuted Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon, landing both in prison.
When discussing apparent past abuses, failures, and corruption at the DOJ, Trump also cited the raid on his Mar-a-Lago residence; the department's apparent reluctance to prosecute Antifa, pro-Hamas radicals, and illegal aliens; and the department's deafening silence on the authenticity of the New York Post's reporting on Hunter Biden's "laptop from hell" when former intelligence officials dismissed it as Russian disinformation.
"They tried to turn America into a corrupt, communist, and third-world country, but in the end, the thugs failed and the truth won; freedom won; justice won; democracy won; and, above all, the American people won," continued Trump. "There could be no more heinous betrayal of American values than to use the law to terrorize the innocent and reward the wicked."
Trump, who identified himself as the "chief law enforcement officer of the United States" in his speech, promised a "legendary" reckoning, indicating that his administration has a clear mandate to "expel rogue actors and corrupt forces from our government" and "expose their egregious crimes."
He noted further that he has set the stage for success by firing "all the radical-left, pro-crime U.S. attorneys appointed by Joe Biden"; passing an executive order directing Bondi to seek the death penalty for cop-killers; designating MS-13 and other Latin American gangs as terrorist organizations; clamping down on fentanyl trafficking, particularly from Mexico; and taking meaningful steps to secure the border and expel "savages" who stole into the country.
"We will restore the prestige of this great department, and we will bring back faith in our justice system for the citizens of every race, religion, color, and creed," said Trump.
The president used his address as an opportunity to speak on other timely matters. He criticized perceived efforts by the media and activists to intimidate or pressure courts, raised questions about the validity of official Biden documents bearing machine-generated signatures, and spoke optimistically about ceasefire talks with Russia and Ukraine.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday that the Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the recent Tesla vandalism incidents.
Bondi discussed with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo how President Donald Trump's administration is ending the weaponization of the federal government against political opponents.
'We have people we're locking up.'
"When we say we're ending the weaponization, we're ending it. People will be held accountable," Bondi stated.
She highlighted leftists' ongoing attacks on Elon Musk, one of Trump's senior advisers tasked with slashing wasteful spending and rooting out fraud.
In recent weeks, Tesla vehicles, charging stations, and dealerships nationwide have faced rising incidents of vandalism in protest of the CEO's work with the administration.
Last week, a suspect threw Molotov cocktails at a Tesla charging station in South Carolina. Over the weekend, several Tesla Cybertrucks at a Washington dealership were vandalized with spray paint. On Thursday, gunshots were fired at an Oregon Tesla dealership, causing "extensive damage to cars and showroom windows," the Associated Press reported. A similar incident occurred the previous week at the same dealership.
Bondi told Bartiromo, "I've already directed an investigation be opened to see how is this being funded. Who is behind this?"
"We have people we're locking up on that. We have someone in jail right now from one of the dealerships. They threw a Molotov cocktail through a dealership. They're looking at up to 20 years in prison," Bondi said. "If you're going to touch a Tesla, go to a dealership, do anything — you better watch out because we're coming after you."
"If you're funding this, we're coming after you," Bondi added. "We're going to find out who you are."
Musk has accused ActBlue and its funders, including leftist billionaire George Soros and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, of subsidizing the Tesla vandalism incidents.
He wrote in a post on X, "An investigation has found 5 ActBlue-funded groups responsible for Tesla 'protests': Troublemakers, Disruption Project, Rise & Resist, Indivisible Project and Democratic Socialists of America."
"ActBlue is currently under investigation for allowing foreign and illegal donations in criminal violation of campaign finance regulations. This week, 7 ActBlue senior officials resigned, including the associate general counsel," he added.
In a post on X, Hoffman responded to Musk's claims, "Just one more of Elon's false claims about me: I never funded anyone for Tesla protests."
"I don't condone violence. But it's clear Americans are angry at him – it's easier to explain away their anger, than to accept that actions have consequences," he added.
ActBlue did not respond to a request for comment from Forbes. Soros did not respond to Fox News Digital.
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On Thursday, a judge ordered the Trump administration to "immediately" rehire tens of thousands of probationary employees terminated from six federal agencies.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, called the Office of Personnel Management's decision to lay off the federal workers "unlawful," a "sham," and a "gimmick," Politico reported. He insisted that President Donald Trump's administration had circumvented legal requirements by arguing the terminations were performance-based, which he claimed was not the case.
'The Government has engaged in an illegal scheme spanning broad swaths of the federal workforce.'
"It is a sad, sad day when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that's a lie," Alsup stated.
He demanded that the Departments of Defense, Treasury, Energy, Interior, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs rehire the probationary employees. Yet, Alsup also noted that the agencies have the authority to implement "reductions in force."
"The words that I give you today should not be taken that some wild-and-crazy judge in San Francisco said that an administration cannot engage in a reduction in force," Alsup said. "It can be done, if it's done in accordance with the law."
During a Thursday hearing, Alsup accused the DOJ's legal team of being "afraid" to have individuals cross-examined because it "would reveal the truth."
"I tend to doubt that you're telling me the truth," the judge said. "I'm tired of seeing you stonewall on trying to get at the truth."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Helland insisted that the directive to terminate the employees "was not an order by OPM."
"Everybody knew the new administration was prioritizing this and the political appointments wanted to comply with that administration priority," Helland explained.
The Government Executive reported that the judge's rehire order impacts roughly 24,000 probationary workers who were fired last month.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Alsup of "attempting to unconstitutionally seize the power of hiring and firing from the Executive Branch."
"The President has the authority to exercise the power of the entire executive branch — singular district court judges cannot abuse the power of the entire judiciary to thwart the President's agenda," Leavitt remarked. "If a federal district court judge would like executive powers, they can try and run for president themselves."
The DOJ filed a notice to appeal.
On Thursday evening, a second federal judge, U.S. District Judge James Bredar, issued a temporary restraining order, calling for more than a dozen federal agencies to temporarily reinstate terminated workers.
The judge wrote, "In this case, the government conducted massive layoffs, but it gave no advance notice. It claims it wasn't required to because, it says, it dismissed each one of these thousands of probationary employees for 'performance' or other individualized reasons."
"On the record before the Court, this isn't true. There were no individualized assessments of employees. They were all just fired. Collectively," he added.
The Trump administration has terminated approximately 200,000 probationary employees across the federal government.
"When, as is likely the case here, the Government has engaged in an illegal scheme spanning broad swaths of the federal workforce, it is inevitable that the remediation of that scheme will itself be a significant task," Bredar stated.
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'Our predecessors turned this Department of Justice into the Department of Injustice. ... Those days are over.'
thefederalist.com