Biden gave this NGO $3 billion for illegal alien handouts despite child abuse allegations: Report



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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Trump admin pulls children from migrant shelters over sexual abuse claims



President Donald Trump's Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services released a joint statement on Wednesday announcing that unaccompanied migrant children will no longer be placed in shelters operated by Southwest Key Programs.

The departments called it a "move to end sexual abuse and harassment," noting that all the children have been moved to other shelters.

'Bad actors were incentivized to exploit children and break our laws: This ends now.'

Southwest Key, a nonprofit organization, runs more than two dozen temporary living facilities in Texas, Arizona, and California, making it the largest shelter provider for foreign national children who entered the United States without a parent or guardian.

The DOJ and HSS' joint press release noted that the decision to remove the children stemmed from a July 2024 lawsuit that alleged Southwest Key employees "subjected unaccompanied alien children in its care to unlawful sexual harassment and abuse."

The lawsuit accused some employees of raping, inappropriately touching, and soliciting sex from the children beginning in 2015. One worker allegedly "repeatedly sexually abused" several girls, with the youngest only 5 years old.

"Out of continuing concerns relating to these placements, HHS has decided to stop placement of unaccompanied alien children in Southwest Key facilities and to review its grants with the organization. In view of HHS' action, the Department of Justice has dismissed its lawsuit against Southwest Key," the press release explained.

At least two workers have faced criminal charges in connection with the allegations, the Associated Press reported.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said, "This administration is working fearlessly to end the tragedy of human trafficking and other abuses of unaccompanied alien children who enter the country illegally."

"For too long, pernicious actors have exploited such children both before and after they enter the United States. Today's action is a significant step toward ending this appalling abuse of innocents," he added.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated that the Trump administration and the DOJ are committed to protecting children and securing the border.

"Under the border policies of the previous administration, bad actors were incentivized to exploit children and break our laws: This ends now," Bondi declared.

As a result of the administration's decision, Southwest Key sent a furlough notice to employees on March 10. Employees will not be expected to work and will not receive pay.

The email read, "It is with a heavy heart that we share, as a nationwide provider for the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Southwest Key Programs … received a stop placement notice from the federal government on February 28, 2025, for all of our programs serving Unaccompanied Children."

"This unexpected notice has created a challenging situation for Southwest Key," it continued. "Due to this unforeseen business circumstance, Southwest Key has made the difficult decision to implement a temporary furlough."

Southwest Key did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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NGO responds to allegations it subjected children to ‘repeated’ sexual abuse



A recent Department of Justice lawsuit accused a prominent nongovernmental organization of subjecting unaccompanied children to “repeated” sexual abuse and harassment. The nonprofit responded to the allegations, claiming that the DOJ's complaint "does not present the accurate picture of the care and commitment our employees provide to the youth and children."

Southwest Key Programs, a Texas-based nonprofit, partners with the Department of Health and Human Services to provide housing to minors who unlawfully cross into the United States without a parent or guardian. According to its website, the organization is “an integral partner in the U.S. response to the immigration crisis at our southern border.”

'The child’s accounts were partially corroborated by video footage.'

The DOJ’s lawsuit claimed, “From at least 2015 through at least 2023, multiple Southwest Key employees have subjected unaccompanied children in their care to repeated and unwelcome sexual abuse, harassment, and misconduct and a hostile housing environment, including severe sexual abuse and rape, solicitation of sex acts, solicitation of nude photos, entreaties for sexually inappropriate relationships, sexual comments and gestures, leering, and inappropriate touching.”

The suit alleged that some of the children were “threatened” by the employees to “maintain their silence” about the abuse. The organization was accused of “fail[ing] to take appropriate action to protect the children in its care.”

According to the DOJ, the children impacted by the alleged abuse were as young as 5 years old.

After unaccompanied minors are apprehended by Border Patrol at the southern border, they are placed with the HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is responsible for providing humanitarian care and housing. The agency partners with several NGOs to provide these services, including Southwest Key.

As part of its partnership with the federal government, the HHS provides NGOs with grants funded by American taxpayers.

The DOJ’s complaint noted that Southwest Key is “the largest private care provider of housing for unaccompanied children in the United States.” The NGO operated 29 shelters, accommodating roughly 6,350 children.

“Between fiscal years 2015 and 2023, Southwest Key received over three billion dollars in funding from HHS,” it added.

During that period of time, the organization received complaints of sexual abuse and harassment “at the majority” of its facilities, the DOJ claimed.

In one instance in 2022, an 8-year-old girl reported that a Southwest Key youth care worker “repeatedly” entered her bedroom at night to abuse her. The worker was also accused of inappropriately touching a 5-year-old girl and an 11-year-old girl. He allegedly “threatened to kill their families if they disclosed the abuse.”

In 2019, a teenage girl passed a note to her teacher stating that a shift leader had “repeatedly raped, abused, and threatened” her.

“She reported she believed that Southwest Key employees were covering to protect the Shift Leader because, among other things, he would regularly switch assignments with other staff so that he could be alone with her,” the DOJ’s lawsuit read. “The child’s accounts were partially corroborated by video footage of the Shift Leader entering her bedroom and her journal documenting abuse. In addition, employees observed the Shift Leader’s failure to follow bedroom check policy and routinely entering the child’s bedroom (as well as entering other children’s bedrooms) for periods of time without other employees present.”

The DOJ’s complaint listed numerous other incidents of sexual abuse and harassment allegedly committed by the NGO’s employees. It is unclear how many children were allegedly subjected to the abuse.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra stated, “HHS has a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, inappropriate sexual behavior, and discrimination.”

“The U.S. Department of Justice’s complaint against Southwest Key raises serious pattern or practice concerns. HHS will continue to work with the Justice Department and oversight agencies to hold its care-giving programs like Southwest Key accountable. And we will continue to closely evaluate our assignment of children into care-giving programs to ensure the safety and well-being of every child in HHS custody,” Becerra added.

The HHS’ Administration for Children and Families declined the Daily Caller New Foundation’s request for comment, deferring to the DOJ, which also declined to comment.

Blaze News reported on the allegations against Southwest Key last week, but at that time, the NGO had not publicly commented on the lawsuit. A spokesperson for Southwest Key has since told the DCNF that it still partners with the HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement.

“Southwest Key Programs’ primary focus is the safety, health, and well-being of each one of the children and youth we care for,” the spokesperson told the DCNF. “We continue to review the complaint, and it does not present the accurate picture of the care and commitment our employees provide to the youth and children.”

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Largest housing provider for unaccompanied migrant minors subjected kids to sexual abuse, DOJ lawsuit claims



"Multiple employees" of the largest housing provider for unaccompanied minors illegally crossing the U.S. southern border allegedly committed various forms of sexual abuse on children in their care, all while the nonprofit's leadership turned a blind eye, a new lawsuit from the Department of Justice claims.

On Thursday, the DOJ announced that it had filed a lawsuit against Southwest Key Programs Inc., claiming that by either facilitating or ignoring the abuse, the nonprofit had violated the Fair Housing Act.

Both employees also reportedly threatened to harm or even kill the children or their families if they reported the abuse. Perhaps equally as abhorrent, other staff members at the shelters allegedly knew about the attacks and failed to report them.

Southwest Key runs a total of 29 shelters for unaccompanied migrant minors, 17 in Texas, 10 in Arizona, and two in California. In all, Southwest Key can provide housing for 6,350 children.

Since at least 2015, some of the nonprofit's employees have allegedly engaged in heinous acts of sexual abuse, including "sexual contact and inappropriate touching, solicitation of sex acts, solicitation of nude photos, entreaties for inappropriate relationships and sexual comments," the DOJ press release claimed.

Thus far, at least two such employees have been criminally charged. A male working at the Casa Franklin shelter in El Paso, Texas, allegedly touched the "private area" of three girls between ages 5 and 11. Another employee from a Southwest Key facility in Tucson, Arizona, allegedly brought an 11-year-old boy to a hotel and paid him to perform sex acts for several days.

Both employees also reportedly threatened to harm or even kill the children or their families if they reported the abuse. Perhaps equally as abhorrent, other staff members at the shelters allegedly knew about the abuse and failed to report it.

"Southwest Key took insufficient action to prevent sexual harassment of the children in its care, failed to consistently follow federal requirements for preventing, detecting and reporting abuse including sexual harassment, failed to take appropriate or sufficient action to protect the children in its care and discouraged children from disclosing sexual harassment in violation of federal requirements," the press release stated.

Southwest Key receives funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As of May 31, nearly 7,800 children are in the care of HHS-funded facilities, though how many of those children are in Southwest Key shelters is unclear.

The AP reached out to Southwest Key for comment, as did Blaze News. We did not receive a response.

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