The Trump administration lifted a funding ban for the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, which operates a migrant shelter in McAllen, said Sister Norma Pimentel during a Texas Tribune Festival panel on Friday.
Pimentel was asked by Niala Boodhoo, an events host for Religion News Service, for an update on the funding ban the Trump administration imposed in November 2025. The ban was imposed after an audit in which the federal government said it found 50 instances in which the nonprofit used federal funds outside of the 45-day window allowed after a migrant is released.
“Well, actually, the ban was lifted,” Pimentel said in response to Boodhoo’s question. The sister added that her organization is now allowed to bid and receive grants from the federal government.
Pimentel said that with the help of lawyers they went to Washington, D.C., to meet government officials to clear up the accusations of “major grant violations,” as the federal government had alleged.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which conducted the audit, didn’t immediately respond to questions from The Texas Tribune seeking comment.
According to federal government documents, the organization had been barred from receiving federal funds for six years after Homeland Security said an investigation found multiple grant violations, such as inconsistent records on migrants.
At the time, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley said in a statement it was using federal funds to help migrants brought to them by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, “individuals who were released by CBP with a document that gave them permission to travel to their points of destination.”
The shelter provides migrants released from federal custody a range of services, such as showers, meals and clothes, serving as a rest stop before they continue to other destinations in the U.S.
With fewer immigrants crossing the border, Pimentel said during a question-and-answer session on Friday that as of now her organization is focusing on other community needs for local residents in the Rio Grande Valley.
