Chicago City Wire

The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), a Chicago-based nonprofit providing free legal services to immigrants, has been ranked seventh on the Capital Research Center’s (CRC) list of the country’s top ten “most ridiculous” nonprofits. 

The Washington, D.C.-based conservative watchdog group’s list also includes the Queer Liberation Library at number two, the Democratic Socialists of America at number three, and The Satanic Temple at number ten. The Okra Project, which provides home-cooked meals to black-trans people, tops the list.

Kali Fontanilla, senior fellow at the Capital Research Center and author of the analysis, said the U.S. nonprofit sector’s tax advantages allow some organizations to pursue radical agendas.

“Only in America can you raise millions of tax-exempt dollars to push Marxist ideology or fund drag queen story hour for toddlers,” Fontanilla told Chicago City Wire. “We have one of the most generous, tax-advantaged nonprofit sectors in the world, but that same freedom allows for some truly absurd organizations to flourish, whether it is groups pushing radical ideology or funding drag queen story hour for toddlers.”

Regarding her analysis, Fontanilla said, “I was not saying it as a compliment or a complaint, so much as an observation of how uniquely American it is that this can happen in plain sight, funded by tax-deductible donations. It is both fascinating and infuriating, which is why I wanted to write the piece in a tone that mixes humor with reality.”

Founded in 1995, the NIJC is a 501(c)(3) project of the Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Rights, which is part of a larger coalition of sister organizations advocating for left-of-center social policies, Fontanilla said.

“NIJC advocates for liberal expansionist immigration policies and has claimed immigration law enforcement agencies uphold ‘hateful policies and should be defunded,’” she wrote.

The group also advocates redirecting current federal funding from natural disasters and border security to social services and welfare programs for legal and illegal immigrants.

NIJC supports eliminating laws that criminalize illegal immigration, calling them “unjust and allegedly racist.”

It also reportedly backs the “New Way Forward Act” in Congress, which would end mandatory detention of immigrants, would restrict local law enforcement’s role in immigration enforcement, and stop automatic deportation for immigrants convicted of crimes. The bill would also create a system for previously deported individuals to reenter the United States.

“Nonprofits can be a powerful force for good,” Fontanilla wrote. “I work for one and have seen firsthand the impact it can have, whether exposing Arabella Advisors, the ‘dark money’ network of leftist billionaires trying to transform America, (our president wrote a whole book about this); highlighting the pro-terrorist groups orchestrating anti-Israel protests on college campuses; or the work I do uncovering the agenda and political influence of teachers unions that often operate with little transparency or accountability. Many nonprofits deserve our support and recognition. They often step in where government programs and private enterprise fall short. But for every organization doing real, meaningful work, another organization is pushing a mission so ridiculous it could be satire.”