A tense Wednesday congressional hearing exposed how nongovernmental organizations contributed to the Biden administration's immigration crisis, profiting off of American taxpayers and fueling an invasion that led to trafficking and exploitation.

The Committee on Homeland Security's hearing, "An Inside Job: How NGOs Facilitated the Biden Border Crisis," was a part of "a years-long investigation by the committee into whether NGOs used taxpayer dollars to facilitate illegal activity during the Biden-Harris administration."

'What was allowed to happen to these children is truly one of the largest humanitarian crises of our lifetime.'

Blaze Media national correspondent Julio Rosas, Oversight Project president and Blaze News contributor Mike Howell, and GUARD Against Trafficking president and co-founder Ali Hopper provided their testimony to lawmakers, highlighting the horrors of child trafficking and detailing how NGOs' well-funded services incentivized widespread illegal immigration.

— (@)  

Tension escalated almost immediately during the hearing, as Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) interrupted Howell's testimony, calling for a recorded vote to deem the witness' statements irrelevant to the hearing's topic.

While the Republican majority voted to allow Howell to proceed, the hearing was frequently interrupted and slowed down by the Democratic minority initiating unscheduled procedural votes. They subsequently accused the chairman of breaking the rules when these votes prompted him to repeatedly suspend the hearing temporarily to give lawmakers time to return to the chamber to cast their votes.

Rosas stated during his opening testimony,"Ultimately, the goal of these NGOs was to get people to their desired destination within the United States and help them settle in, even though their legal status was far from being secured."

"By having this guaranteed help once they reached U.S. soil, illegal aliens had greater incentive to put their lives in danger by traversing through the Darien Gap and cartel-controlled territory in Mexico," he continued. "One shelter in El Paso told me in 2023 around 80% of the women who came to them had been raped, many times in front of their children. This highlights that despite the NGOs having the stated goal of helping these people, their 'help' ends up harming the people who used their services. Yes, they made it to the U.S., but at what cost?"

RELATED: Nonprofits aided the invasion — now they obstruct deportation

  Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.). Image Source: Homeland Security Committee

Several Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.), took issue with Rosas mentioning a well-known Catholic organization as one of the many NGOs that used taxpayer funds to facilitate illegal immigration.

Correa told Rosas to "be careful" with his testimony, stating, "I'm a Catholic. I'm kind of disappointed in that."

"Why?" Rosas asked.

Correa replied that the group does "good work."

— (@)  

Howell highlighted how the same NGOs that aided the previous administration's border crisis are now attempting to hinder President Donald Trump's deportation efforts.

Howell said in a statement to Blaze News before the hearing, "The Biden administration funneled billions of dollars through nonprofits and contractors for the sole purpose of facilitating the invasion into the United States. Now many of those same actors are on the forefront of the resistance to the lawful consequence of illegal immigration: deportation."

"As the Democratic Party continues to promote violence and illegal resistance to lawful enforcement, it is critically important that consequences are imposed," Howell said. "Congress has a role in conducting oversight of the money that was spent on their behalf for these purposes. These organizations should continue to be subject to intense scrutiny for their indispensable role in one of the darkest chapters in American history."

RELATED: 'They're not organic. They're funded by NGOs.' Rooftop Korean Tony Moon reveals truth about ICE riots to Glenn Beck

  Oversight Project president and Blaze News contributor Mike Howell. Image Source: Homeland Security Committee

Hopper informed Blaze News that she intended to bring attention to "the heartbreaking details of the crisis and exploitation that occurred to unaccompanied alien children (UACs) under the disastrous policies of the Biden-Harris administration."

"Through our direct interviews with unaccompanied alien children (UACs), incarcerated human traffickers, cartel members, and whistleblowers, I'm going to provide specific details of the horrors these children experienced throughout the smuggling and trafficking process," Hopper said. "I will highlight the role NGOs played — how they became the middleman in a humanitarian pipeline of children that was exploited by cartels and obscured by federal contracts."

"What was allowed to happen to these children is truly one of the largest humanitarian crises of our lifetime," Hopper stated.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!