A nonprofit organization dedicated to “assisting migrants with their paperwork and legal needs” in New York City has been caught on video illegally filling out residency documents for a man without procuring any form of identification from him.
Video shot by Muckraker.com and obtained by The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project appears to show the nonprofit organization, La Jornada, saying that distributing such documents is against the law but then proceeding to do so with another person the next day. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s news and commentary outlet.)
The video also shows the organization distributing paperwork to get a government-issued New York City identification card through the city’s IDNYC program.
Such a process suggests that an illegal alien easily could get a city ID card under a phony name through the nonprofit.
La Jornada, which operates out of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Queens, describes itself as an organization that is “helping migrants navigate the complex asylum processes and other legal procedures.”
The organization’s website states that La Jornada is “committed to justice and equality” and adds that “we strive to provide comprehensive support and expert guidance to those seeking safety and opportunities in a new country.”
The video, narrated by Muckraker.com founder Anthony Rubin, first shows him speaking to La Jornada employees about obtaining residency documents. Rubin tells one employee that a friend said he could obtain or buy those papers at the facility.
“How can you buy that here?” the woman responds. “No, you could do your process of asylum.”
Rubin asks, “Not possible here?”
She says in response: “Buy papers here? No, we cannot do that. … We could help you do your documentation if you need to get a Social Security or work permit.”
Later in the video, the woman is seen saying to Rubin: “You cannot go asking how much is the residency we sell, because that’s illegal … that’s something that you could do that you could get in trouble. That’s not what we could do. … They will think we are doing something illegal.”
However, the next day, a Mexican associate of Muckraker’s went back to the La Jornada office in Queens. Another employee gives the man residency and IDNYC paperwork although he hasn’t produced any form of identification.
In the video, the man is heard giving only his first and last name to the organization’s employee.
“Do you have a first and last name? Nothing else? Only have Jose Rubiano?” she asks.
The man affirms that.
The La Jornada employee says: “I’m going to get this signed and then I’ll be right back.”
Next, the employee produces documents with the name “Jose Rubiano” for both residency and the IDNYC card.
Muckraker’s Rubin explained why illegally facilitating residence and official identification cards is so problematic.
“Anyone, from someone seeking unauthorized employment to spies, saboteurs, or even terrorists, could obtain a government issued ID by visiting La Jornada and acquiring fraudulent papers,” Rubin said. “This risk also includes those who enter this country legally and overstay their visa.”
Such fraud, he said, potentially has allowed thousands of illegal aliens to obtain a new identity and integrate themselves into New York City undetected.
This is also a problem when it comes to illegal immigrants voting in local elections. With fraudulent residency papers, illegal aliens could take the first step toward voting in New York, which requires 30-day residency.
La Jornada is one of countless nonprofit organizations in New York and across the country that use U.S. taxpayers’ money to facilitate the increase in illegal immigration since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021.
In 2023, Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., secured $250,000 in federal taxpayer dollars for La Jornada.
The failed Senate border bill promoted by Biden in February was set to send $1.4 billion to nonprofits that cater to illegal immigrants.
“What started out decades ago as faith-based organizations supporting the State Department to resettle genuine refugees in the U.S. after a legitimate application process has evolved into mass illegal immigration and downstream activities, creating an immigration industrial complex worth billions of dollars,” Lora Ries, director of Heritage’s Border Security and Immigration Center, wrote in May for The Daily Signal.
The Daily Signal sought comment about the video from La Jornada, but the organization didn’t respond by publication time.
Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email [email protected], and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.