A nonprofit organization allegedly misused federal taxpayer funds by purchasing airline tickets for illegal migrants, according to Border Report.

United States Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) accused Catholic Charities of San Antonio of misusing funds granted to the organization through the FEMA Shelter and Services Program, which aims to reimburse nonprofits for the costs associated with housing migrants.

Cuellar contends that the program, which he helped start, was never intended for air travel. Instead, the funds are meant to cover food, shelter, and other humanitarian costs.

While the program does allocate “a set percentage” of funds to transportation, he noted that it was intended to provide migrants with free rides around the immediate area. He claimed that the transportation funds should be used only in emergency situations or within the city.

The free plane tickets are attracting more migrants to the San Antonio area, Cuellar argued. He explained that when he spoke to Holding Institute, a Laredo-based nonprofit, representatives there stated migrants want to come to San Antonio in part “because they pay for transportation,” he told Border Report.

“And they say, ‘Queremos ir al San Pedro,’ which is the street where they have this migrant center. And they call it the milk and honey place,” he added. “When I first started this program, I said it would only be used for food and shelter, maybe transportation inside a city, but not to be sending them up there. The family or somebody should pay for that, not the taxpayer dollars.”

United States Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas) called it a misappropriation of taxpayer dollars.

“These tax dollars were not intended to be used to fly illegal immigrants all over their country to the destination of their choice,” De La Cruz told Border Report. “They misused funds and sent these illegal immigrants where their preferred destination was with taxpayers' hard-earned money. This is just simply unacceptable.”

Catholic Charities of San Antonio did not respond to Border Report’s request for comment.

The organization is slated to receive another $10.8 million in funding through the program for its MRS Centro de Bienvenida temporary shelter, which provides humanitarian aid to migrants. According to the organization, the facility offers “safety, meals, hygiene kits, and blankets to those in need.”

The nonprofit said the additional funding will be used to provide “newcomers” with “shelter, food, and clothing.”

“In addition to meeting basic needs, Catholic Charities provides wrap-around services such as trauma-informed care, mental health counseling, legal assistance, and pastoral care to those who may have experienced trauma. Catholic Charities is committed to serving the most vulnerable among us with love, dignity, and respect,” it stated.

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