Arizona communities are getting a new round of federal funding from FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program.
The program reimburses state and local entities funding for things like short-term shelters, transportation and other aid for asylum seekers and migrants released by the Border Patrol to pursue immigration cases in the U.S.
Arizona communities are getting about $48 million from the fund this time, including nearly $19 million for Pima County.
County Board of Supervisor Chair Adelita Grijalva says the county is serving roughly 150 migrants and asylum seekers a day — a sharp decline from the number the county was serving late last year.
“Where we used to be 1,500 a day in December 2023, so at the current rate of releases, this additional funding is going to allow the county to provide short-term shelter services well into 2025,” she said.
Pima is Arizona’s largest border county and has for years run a robust asylum aid system through its contact with Catholic Community Services initiative Casa Alitas. County officials announced the bulk of that work was shifting to a private service provider last month.
Roughly $1.8 million is going toward another aid group based in Pima County called the Borderlands Resource Initiative. Yuma County is getting around $7.5 million, and the state of Arizona is getting just over $19 million.
