WASHINGTON, D.C. — Newly released federal documents show that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have suspended Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley (CCRGV) from receiving federal contracts and are seeking a long-term federal debarment. The suspension and proposed debarment were communicated in formal notices dated November 19 and November 20, 2025.
The action means CCRGV is temporarily barred from participating in federal procurement and non-procurement programs across the executive branch. FEMA states that the suspension will remain in effect pending completion of a DHS investigation into the organization’s data collection practices used to support reimbursement claims under Emergency Food and Shelter funding and Shelter and Services Program funds.
The proposed debarment could last up to six years, according to the FEMA notice.
Federal Government Cites Concerns With Data Accuracy and Grant Compliance
According to the DHS General Counsel’s letter issued November 20, the Department began reviewing CCRGV earlier in 2025 to ensure federal grant funds were not being misused. The letter states that CCRGV submitted “incomplete and inaccurate data” in response to a DHS inquiry. FEMA officials referenced CCRGV’s own acknowledgment that it was “aware of the data accuracy issue” and “unable to provide the correct data.”…