The Department of Homeland Security will award $350 million to organizations assisting migrants and asylum seekers.
Funding come from FEMA, through a program established under the bipartisan omnibus package signed into law in December. DHS says it will help local communities working with asylum seekers released from DHS custody to await their immigration proceedings in the U.S.
More than a million migrants have been blocked from accessing the U.S. asylum process over the last few years because of the pandemic-era border restriction, Title 42. Aid groups in Arizona have provided COVID-19 tests, vaccines, transportation and other services for those able to bypass restrictions and enter the U.S.
Groups can soon apply to receive funding through the initiative to mitigate those costs.
