The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is diving into a thorough examination of federal security grants awarded to Muslim organizations following a report raising alarms about past funding to groups that have “alleged terrorist ties.” This move points to a renewed focus on ensuring public funds are directed responsibly, free from connections to potential threats.
A DHS document, obtained by Fox News Digital, reveals that 49 projects “with alleged affiliations to terrorist activities” have already been axed, saving roughly $8 million. The review centers on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), which provides financial support to religious institutions—mosques, synagogues, churches, and others—to strengthen defenses against hate-fueled violence.
The investigation was sparked by a report from the Middle East Forum, a conservative and pro-Israel think tank, which alleged that over $25 million in DHS and FEMA grants flowed to “terror-linked groups” between 2013 and 2023.
A DHS official stressed the agency’s commitment to addressing these findings, saying, “We take the results of the MEF report very seriously and are thankful for the work of conservative watchdog groups.” The department is now conducting its own independent audit of past and ongoing funding.
One case highlighted in the report involves a $100,000 grant awarded in 2019 to the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Virginia. Records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by the Investigative Project noted that Customs and Border Protection once noted that the mosque is a “mosque operating as a front for Hamas operatives in the U.S.”
DHS is now closely examining all current and future contracts to block funds from reaching such groups and is exploring ways to reclaim unspent allocations.
For 2024, DHS has already allocated $94 million to 500 Jewish organizations and an additional $110 million shared among 600 Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jewish groups.
Moving into 2025, the department plans to roll out tougher vetting standards to bring about a more stringent process. “We don’t want to be empowering groups that could be causing a threat to our community here in the United States,” a DHS official explained.
The Middle East Forum’s report also pointed to specific allocations, including $10.3 million to the Islamic Circle of North America, which it alleges is linked to the South Asian Islamist movement Jamaat-e-Islami.
It also flagged $250,000 given to the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which DHS has accused of having “Hamas ties,” and $750,000 to mosques in Michigan and Texas described as “outposts for Iran’s revolutionary brand of Shi’a Islamism.” These include the Islamic Center of America, the Islamic House of Wisdom near Detroit, and the Islamic Ahlul Bayt Association in Austin.
CAIR responded to Fox News Digital, stating it has no active federal contracts with DHS. A spokesperson said:
“While our civil rights organization has no active federal grants that the Department could eliminate or cut, and while the government cannot ban American organizations from receiving federal grants based on their religious affiliation or their criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, it’s important to note that Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security is embarrassing President Trump by making decisions based on the ravings of the Middle East Forum, an Israel First hate website.”
FEMA has previously partnered with CAIR to encourage participation in the NSGP program. However, CAIR recently urged organizations to pause applications for DHS and FEMA grants unless two new vetting rules are dropped.
These rules mandate recipients to work with immigration officials and bar them from running programs linked to diversity, equity, inclusion, or support for undocumented immigrants, as well as engaging in certain “discriminatory prohibited boycotts.”
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