LANSING — In what critics describe as explicit political targeting of two Arab American organizations in Dearborn, Michigan Republican Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt has called on the U.S. Department of Justice to review the records of ACCESS and the National Yemeni American Association (NAYA), while also urging federal scrutiny of grant-awarding mechanisms within several Michigan state agencies.

Nesbitt, who is running for governor, raised concerns in a February 11 letter about what he called “serious warning signs” suggesting potential misuse of taxpayer funds by the two organizations, which have received millions of dollars in grants in recent years.

In the letter, Nesbitt described a review of ACCESS and NAYA’s records as “a logical step to ensure transparency in accounting” and to confirm that government grants are being used for their intended purposes.

“Let’s make sure services are actually being delivered,” Nesbitt wrote. “The goal is to ensure every taxpayer dollar is spent efficiently and effectively.”

ACCESS responds

ACCESS responded to Nesbitt, who represents the 20th Senate District in southwest Michigan, affirming its “full compliance with the laws governing all nonprofit organizations.”

“We are a model of accountability, maintaining full compliance with funding requirements, including periodic reviews and internal and external audits for all of our funded programs,” ACCESS said in a statement.

The organization added that, like Senator Nesbitt, ACCESS believes Michigan residents deserve a government that “consistently puts families first,” noting that it has served communities effectively for 55 years.

The NAYA calls letter “unjustified”

In comments to WDIV Local 4, Abdelhakim Al-Saada, president of  the NAYA, described Nesbitt’s letter as “unjustified.”

Nesbitt, for his part, said the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed receipt of the letter and is reviewing the request.

Broader federal review requested

In addition to ACCESS and the NAYA, Nesbitt called on the federal government to examine the practices of:

• The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

• The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS)

• The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO)

Nesbitt said recent state oversight efforts uncovered troubling indicators suggesting that these organizations and agencies may be using millions of dollars in state and federal funding to serve partisan operations or provide services to individuals residing in the United States unlawfully.

Allegations against the NAYA

Nesbitt’s letter accused the NAYA of lacking financial accountability and failing to report revenue, despite receiving “millions of dollars in government grants over the past five years.”

He cited findings from the Michigan House Oversight Committee indicating that the NAYA may not have filed federal tax returns during that period. Reports suggest that the organization’s most recent federal tax filing dates back to 2021 and showed revenues of less than $50,000 — which Nesbitt described as potentially indicating “a serious discrepancy given the scale of government funding received.”

The letter also stated that the NAYA recently requested $800,000 for a mental health and case management services program, raising questions about whether those funds could be used to provide services to undocumented immigrants.

Allegations against ACCESS

Regarding ACCESS, Nesbitt’s letter states that the organization received more than $5 million in federal funding during 2025 alone for healthcare services.

He questioned whether those services are provided regardless of immigration status, suggesting that doing so could conflict with federal law.

Nesbitt further noted that ACCESS recently requested an additional $1 million to construct a headquarters for the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC), accusing the network of engaging in Democratic partisan activities — which he argued would violate rules governing the use of taxpayer funds.

Additionally, the letter accused ACCESS of failing to clearly distinguish between its healthcare services and immigration-related legal services, alleging that federal health funding could be used to support immigration cases in ways that conflict with federal law.

MEDC and the $20 million grant

Nesbitt’s letter also called for federal oversight of the MEDC, which is currently under scrutiny regarding a $20 million grant connected to what he described as “an activist close to Governor Gretchen Whitmer”, referring to Arab American activist Fay Beydoun.