Photo: Getty/Andrew Harnik
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently sent a letter to California Governor Newsom raising unsubstantiated allegations about CAIR California’s partnership with the state of California in providing crucial legal services to recently arrived Afghans—allegations sourced directly from anti-Muslim members of Congress with a history of making false and Islamophobic statements.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. then amplified this letter on social media, without investigating its claims or providing evidence of wrongdoing. His commentary also included baseless attacks on CAIR National and its chapters in California (CAIR-CA) and Washington (CAIR-WA).
A Pattern of Attacks Targeting CAIR
CAIR has been the frequent target of dishonest conspiracy theories and untrustworthy campaigns attempting to undermine our work as part of a broader attack on Muslim-serving organizations—especially those who publicly support Palestinian human rights.
These unfounded allegations have been circulated by right-wing and Islamophobic politicians and media outlets and demonstrate a concerning lack of basic facts and understanding of the grants received by CAIR-CA and CAIR-WA. In fact, CAIR National has never received any funds from HHS.
This form of political grandstanding recycles the same tired and easily refutable allegations used by other anti-Muslim lawmakers and provocateurs alleging the misuse of public funds and “ties” to terrorist organizations. These tired allegations have unfortunately also been used against other nonprofit organizations that provide services to marginalized communities, including immigrants.
Funding for Immigration Services
RFK Jr.’s false claims focus in part on grants received by CAIR-CA to provide immigration services. Our Immigrants’ Rights Center provides vital legal support and services for thousands of Californians from diverse nationalities, backgrounds, and religions, not just for those who are Muslim.
As part of our commitment to serving our communities, CAIR-CA also provides essential immigration legal services to Afghans who have recently arrived in the U.S. under the Afghan Legal Services Project (ALSP) grant. Under this grant, CAIR-CA works closely with the State of California and other nonprofit organizations to provide thousands of recently arrived Afghans across the state with crucial immigration services and education about the immigration process.
Our Commitment to Transparency
All the grants received by CAIR-CA, including the ALSP grant, require an extensive application and review process, which includes providing robust fiscal, legal, and programmatic information about CAIR-CA. The review process also requires grant-specific periodic reports on the substance and fiscal status of the work being performed, programmatic and fiscal audits by the State of California, and internal financial audits by outside third-party auditors.
CAIR-CA has earned a Platinum Transparency rating from Candid, an Accredited Charity title under the Better Business Bureau, and recognition for meeting high standards by the Charities Review Council.
Our commitment to the community and to transparency of public funding is why both public and private funders have worked with CAIR-CA for several years and continue to do so.
Click here to learn more about challenging false narratives about CAIR and the Muslim community.
