Support Builds for Gallego Plan to Assist Border Community Law Enforcement, First Responders
Grant Program Backed by Fraternal Order of Police and International Association of Firefighters
PHOENIX – Today, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-03) announced growing support for his First Responders Emergency Assistance Act, legislation that would create a new emergency grant program for law enforcement and first responders in communities experiencing increased migrant arrivals. Gallego first announced the program last year as part of his plan to put Arizona’s border communities first.
“I’ve heard directly from Arizona’s frontline border leaders, and they all tell me the same thing: their communities’ resources are strained dealing with the increase in migrant arrivals, especially their police and fire departments. The current federal funding system provides no additional support for first responders — a deficiency we must correct,” said Rep. Gallego. “As I’ve long said, our border communities should not be left to deal with this national crisis alone. That’s why I’m committed to fixing the system and fighting for our brave public safety and emergency response workers, so they get the support they deserve.”
The First Responders Emergency Assistance Act has received endorsements from the Fraternal Order of Police and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).
“Several times in recent years, Federal authorities have found themselves overwhelmed by large numbers of aliens seeking to enter the United States. During such occurrences, State and local public safety resources are strained as well. Your legislation would provide resources, through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for use by law enforcement agencies and emergency operation centers during periods of increased demand because of the arrival or presence of aliens entering the United States. This program would be available to cover operational costs and assist with staffing needs—including overtime. We look forward to working with Representative Gallego to get it passed,” said Fraternal Order of Police President Patrick Yoes.
“Fire departments across our country are facing unprecedented demands for service. In local governments’ efforts to fund services to assist newly arriving immigrants, fire fighters are seeing their budgets slashed, staffing decreased, and new equipment delayed. We cannot sacrifice the safety of our fire fighters and the communities they serve. More emergency calls mean more stress on our public safety infrastructure. The current load on our members is unsustainable and is a recipe for injuring or killing fire fighters,” said IAFF General President Edward A. Kelly. “We applaud Rep. Gallego for introducing this legislation to direct desperately needed funding to communities at the forefront of immigration. These grants will ensure that fire and EMS professionals can stay safe on the job and continue to care for those who call our communities home. We urge Congress to pass this bill and help first responders perform their jobs more effectively and safely.”
Administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the grant program would be available to cities, counties, tribes, and states. The funding could be used for the operations, staffing, and overtime needs of law enforcement, first responders, and emergency operation centers.
Additionally, the legislation specifies that DHS should be given the discretion to send supplemental funding to locations that are seeing immediate upticks in activity based on Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data on migrant encounters and street releases. Priority would also be given to border communities to receive this funding.
Full text of the legislation can be found HERE.
BACKGROUND ON REP. GALLEGO’S EFFORTS TO SUPPORT ARIZONA’S BORDERCOMMUNITIES:
Prior to the end of Title 42 in May 2023 and after communicating with Arizona border leaders, Rep. Gallego sent four letters to Biden Administration officials and Congress requesting specific resources these communities need to reduce the burden on them and their residents.
In June, he sent an initial letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) arguing that border states like Arizona need more funding to address border crossings and provide services. He called the FEMA funding model “misguided.”
After a lackluster response from FEMA, he sent a second letter to Secretary of Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas directly, expressing his disagreement with the funding model.
Rep. Gallego also sent a letter to FEMA urging the Agency to fix a new documentation requirement that strains border communities and non-profits in Arizona, putting their funding at risk.
Following these letters, as well as a one-on-one call with Sec. Mayorkas, Rep. Gallego announced in September that he had secured over $2 million in emergency funding from the DHS to support Arizona’s border communities as they address an increase in migrant crossings.
In November, Rep. Gallego joined Rep. Michael McCaul (TX-10) in sending a bipartisan letter to House Appropriations Committee leadership requesting that any FY 2024 supplemental appropriations include funding for critical programs to aid first responders in communities impacted by immigration.
After close coordination with Arizona’s non-profits, border community leaders, and law enforcement officials, Rep. Gallego rolled out his plan to institute sweeping reforms to address the problems plaguing FEMA’s failed Shelter and Services Program (SSP) that has shortchanged Arizona’s border communities on the front line of the border crisis.
In December, Rep. Gallego called on the Biden Administration to issue an emergency declaration for the Southwest Border to provide Arizona’s border communities and nonprofits the resources they need to humanely process the increased number of arrivals at the border. He also inquired about using National Guard facilities in Douglas, Arizona as emergency shelter for migrants.
Also in December, Rep. Gallego traveled across Arizona meeting with border community leaders. He met with local officials, farmers, and business owners in Yuma to discuss the impact the closing of the Lukeville Port of Entry had on their businesses and Arizona’s economy, and he visited Nogales, Bisbee, and Tucson to meet with local leaders, nonprofit officials, and representatives from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to discuss the impact of increased migration on Arizona’s border communities.
To stop the flow of fentanyl across the border, Rep. Gallego introduced the Buck Stops Here Act which would authorize the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to designate financial institutions, transaction classes, or accounts as primary money laundering concerns in connection to illicit fentanyl trafficking. He also secured two fentanyl-related provisions in the annual defense bill mandating a report on the role of the Department of Defense(DoD) in supporting a national emergency declaration combating the fentanyl crisis and mandating a threat analysis of any potential threats the illicit fentanyl drug trade poses to the defense interests of the U.S.
Rep. Gallego sent a letter to the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, imploring the Speaker to ensure that any supplemental funding package that comes before the House addresses the needs of Arizona’s border communities, and he sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas urging the Administration to crack down on foreign travel agencies that advertise travel packages that include transportation to our Southern border, often through human smuggling organizations.
Following the release of the bipartisan Senate border package in February, Rep. Gallego released a statement in support of the deal and called out extremists who derailed its passage.