Pima County said Friday the Department of Homeland Security is sending a $21.8 million reimbursement allocation that will keep local asylum-seeker operations going through the end of the year.
The U.S. House approved a last-minute $1.2 trillion spending package March 22 that included $650 million for the federal Sheltering Services Program — the $21.8 million’s funding source. The Senate gave its OK the next day and President Biden signed it.
The county said the $21.8 million covers Customs and Border Protection-released legally processed asylum seekers from Santa Cruz, Cochise and Pima counties. The county added a caveat that the funding lasting through the end of 2024 would depend on the amount of asylum seekers entering the county’s operation.
Since the county began assisting asylum seekers in 2019, more than 430,000 have passed through its operation. According to the county’s latest report, CBP released a daily average of 538 asylum seekers into the county’s operation, totaling 3,768 people from March 21-27.
In February, County Administrator Jan Lesher warned the Board of Supervisors that federal funding would run dry March 31, leading to potential CBP street releases beginning as early as April 1. The county and City of Tucson anticipated CBP using the Greyhound bus station east of Tucson’s downtown as its release location.
With renewed federal funding, the county’s operation through Catholic Community Services and its Casa Alitas shelter will continue to assist asylum seekers moving through the three counties. The county reported that more than 98% of asylum seekers who its non-governmental partners assist move on to other communities nationwide, with shelter stays averaging 36 hours and rarely lasting longer than 72.
On April 5, Lesher told the Green Valley News that the county was looking to move away from its role in the asylum-seeker operations and hoped to turn it over to its NGO partners. She also said efforts were underway to build a private donor fund through the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona to help keep the program operational without complete reliance on federal funding.
The county’s Friday announcement also reported federal funding to the county totaled $77 million from 2019 through March 2024. The county also receives funds from the state for other costs, including long-distance transportation and medical screenings.
Lesher previously told the Green Valley News that the county hadn’t spent any local taxpayer funds to maintain its asylum-seeker operations. The Friday announcement also added no local funds are going toward the operation.
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