DHS lifts financial freeze on Sister Norma Pimentel’s Catholic migrant charity

Get RNS’ thoughtful, essential religion reporting every morning. Sign up for free!

AUSTIN, Texas (RNS) — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has lifted a financial freeze on Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, restoring federal funding to the South Texas nonprofit run by prominent Catholic leader Sister Norma Pimentel, she said on Friday (Sept. 25).

Last November, the Trump administration suspended federal funding to the organization, one of the nation’s most prominent Catholic Charities affiliates. DHS sought to bar funds to the charity for six years, after an investigation allegedly found a series of grant violations, including the submission of inconsistent migrant data and use of government funding for migrant support that went beyond the 45-day federal limit. The original DHS letter sent to Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley also accused Pimentel of breaking government trust and failing to put the safety of U.S. citizens first.

RELATED: DHS threatens Sister Norma Pimentel’s migrant aid with 6-year funding ban

Pimentel announced the investigation had been dropped during a conversation with Religion News Service events host Niala…