Democratic Arizona Gov. Kaite Hobbs is asking the federal government for $752 million to pay for migrant shelters and services in an effort to alleviate the financial strain on local governments and charity groups.
In a letter dated Tuesday to leaders of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, Hobbs expressed the need for action as local law enforcement and charities “find themselves on the brink of operational limitations.”
The funds would go toward the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Shelter and Services Program in the upcoming Homeland Security Appropriations bill.
The CBP program gives money to groups that assist immigrants.
“Arizona’s border is more than a convenient location for politicians to take photo ops and stage press conferences,” Hobbs wrote. “It’s where my constituents live, work, and raise their families. My state has done everything possible to deliver safety and security to those communities, but we need Congress to step up and do its job.”
“It is unacceptable that the security of everyday Arizonans has taken a backseat to political games in Washington, D.C., forcing working families in my state to bear the burden of congressional inaction. It’s time to prioritize practical solutions over political maneuvers,” she added.
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The governor also urged lawmakers to pass bipartisan border legislation that has failed to gain traction despite record numbers of migrants at the southern border.
Her request echoes a similar letter to lawmakers by Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema.
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Without the federal funding, migrants would likely be released without shelter or support onto the streets of local Arizona communities, the pair said in a Feb. 27 letter to appropriation committees in both chambers of Congress.
Officials in Arizona told Fox 10 they hope lawmakers listen to their pleas for help in managing the crisis.
“I hope that Washington just listens to what we here on the border need. Sometimes we’re forgotten. You hear about San Diego, you hear about Tucson, you hear about Eagle Pass, but they forget about that here in Yuma. We face this every day,” Yuma Police Chief Thomas Garrity said.
