The House Appropriations Committee is set to consider a State Department funding bill that includes nearly $2.5 billion for the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM), which helps facilitate mass migration into the U.S. through its southern border. Republicans have justified the funding by including a provision in the bill that prevents funds from being used to encourage or publicize mass-migration caravans towards the southwest border of the United States. Critics argue this provision is unenforceable.
IOM officials have hired a former Democrat staffer for the House Appropriations Committee to help secure continuous funding for their organization. The IOM and UNHCR play a critical role in facilitating mass migration toward the U.S.-Mexico border, receiving billions of dollars in taxpayer money from the State Department and USAID over the past year. Critics argue that this funding enables mass migration at the southern border, which has been on the rise since President Joe Biden took office.