NEW: Gavin Newsom-Funded NGO Caught Bringing HIV-Infected Migrants Into America

A sweeping City Journal investigation is putting California Gov. Gavin Newsom on the hot seat, alleging his administration has poured roughly $1 billion into a network of nonprofit groups that help migrants enter, settle and stay in the U.S. while also funding activism aimed at blocking deportations.

The report argues that California, the nation’s largest sanctuary state, became ground zero during the Biden-era border surge, with more than 400,000 illegal immigrants crossing into the state between 2021 and 2023 alone. While Republican-led states deployed troops and barriers, the investigation says California moved in the opposite direction, funding what it calls a “humanitarian” infrastructure that critics believe amounts to state-subsidized open borders.

According to the investigation’s review of state records, the Newsom administration has issued major contracts to migrant-related service providers, including more than $250 million to Catholic Charities, $85 million to Jewish Family Services, $12 million to Centro Legal de la Raza and $23 million to the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area.

The lifetime cost to treat someone living with AIDS is ONE MILLION DOLLARS per person.

So @GavinNewsom is KNOWINGLY importing undocumented migrants with AIDS so AMERICAN TAXPAYERS can financially support them. pic.twitter.com/GTCNLZqE45

— KCinQC (@qc_cin) April 22, 2026

The report also spotlights organizations it describes as radical activist groups, including Al Otro Lado, which has received more than $2 million from California since Gavin Newsom took office. The nonprofit publicly promotes “freedom of movement,” and says it deploys volunteers to “remote migration routes to leave water, food, and essential supplies.”

In one Instagram video cited by the investigation, the group’s litigating attorney, Diego Teixeira, said, “I honestly just believe that there’s no reason for why we should have borders.” In another video highlighted by the report, the group displays books from its library, including Undoing Border Imperialism, that “remind us that the U.S. is [sh*t].” The investigation says the organization is suing the Trump administration over policies that turn certain migrants away at the border. The group did not respond to City Journal’s request for comment, according to the report.

One of the most politically explosive claims involves Oasis Legal Services, a taxpayer-funded group that focuses on “queer and trans immigrants.” City Journal notes Oasis has boasted about its asylum win rate for represented clients, saying “the odds of winning an asylum case go up to 99% for clients when they are represented by an Oasis team member.” Oasis denies it encourages illegal immigration, the report said.

The investigation also points to a passage in an Oasis annual report describing the health profile of its clients. In 2024, the report said “one in six of new clients is living with HIV and the rest are all at significant risk of contracting HIV.” In 2025, the report said the proportion increased to one in five.

In response to a request for comment, Oasis executive director Adam Ryan Chang said people “living with HIV are not barred from entering the United States on that basis,” according to City Journal.

The City Journal report argues Newsom-backed funding extends beyond aid and into legal warfare against deportations, including for migrants with criminal convictions. One nonprofit highlighted is the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, known as ImmDef, which has received at least $6.7 million in state funds since Newsom took office, the investigation said.

ImmDef has called to “abolish the immigration prison system” and to “abolish ICE,” and has denounced Trump-era policy as “white supremacist,” according to the report. The investigation says the group operates a “merits-blind universal representation model” and provides “post-conviction relief” to illegal immigrants convicted of crimes. ImmDef did not respond to City Journal’s request for comment, the report said.

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The investigation notes a key transparency issue: California law restricts the disclosure of a defendant’s immigration status in criminal court without a judge’s permission, limiting public visibility into how often taxpayer-funded immigration defense is used for criminal offenders.

Still, the report cites one example that raised alarms. In 2023, the San Diego County Immigrant Legal Defense Program faced scrutiny for using county funds to provide immigration legal services to 34 noncitizens convicted of crimes including drug trafficking and money laundering. In a later annual report, the program said it provided legal aid to 65 individuals deemed inadmissible on “grounds related to criminal activity.” The program told City Journal such cases were a “very small share” of its overall workload.

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Under pressure from state Republicans, the legislature restricted public spending for immigration defense for felons last year, but City Journal questions how enforceable those limits are. The report also notes a push by some Democrats to expand protections, including an effort by Assemblymember Mia Bonta to broaden state-funded legal aid for illegal immigrants fighting deportation.

The investigation’s final flashpoint focuses on street activism against federal enforcement, particularly in Los Angeles. City Journal describes last summer’s anti-ICE demonstrations, including riots that it says cost the city $32 million and produced hundreds of arrests.

At the center of that activist ecosystem, the report says, is the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Los Angeles, known as CHIRLA, which it says has received about $110 million from California taxpayers since Newsom took office. CHIRLA coordinates the L.A. Rapid Response Network, which tracks ICE raids and calls for “direct action to shut down detention centers,” City Journal reported.

During the protests, CHIRLA executive director Angelica Salas told crowds that ICE agents were conducting a “militarized siege” against illegal migrants.

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“We are going to stop Trump’s terror campaign against our community,” Salas said, according to the report. “We will not stop marching. We will not stop fighting.”

Congress later launched inquiries into whether taxpayer-funded groups were supporting activity that interfered with federal law enforcement. CHIRLA rejected claims it backs violence and said its tactics are rooted in “non-violent advocacy, community safety, and democratic values,” according to City Journal. In response to City Journal’s request for comment, CHIRLA said the outlet was trying to “weaponize government power and intimidate advocates like CHIRLA,” the report said.

A Newsom spokesperson told City Journal the state is not “funding criminal activity” and is not bypassing public health law.

But the investigation’s broader political charge is clear: California’s spending, critics say, is not just about services. It is about building a durable activist and legal machine that protects illegal immigration, pressures federal authorities and reshapes the political terrain in a way that benefits Democrats.

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