A day after top federal immigration officials visited Arizona to pump up the Trump administration’s deportation efforts, Gov. Katie Hobbs said the administration has paused tens of millions of dollars in federal funding that supports state-level border security.
According to the Hobbs administration, the federal government has paused $69 million in grants administered by FEMA that are awarded to the Arizona Department of Homeland Security to support local border security and public safety efforts.
“Delaying critical reimbursements to state and local law enforcement who support federal border security mandates and statewide drug and human trafficking interdiction efforts endangers public safety and undermines the security of Arizona and the nation,” Hobbs said in a press release.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security notified the state on March 27 that the administration had instituted a manual review of FEMA grants, according to an April 3 letter Kim O’Connor, director of the Arizona Department of Homeland Security, sent to affected local agencies.
“Depending on the grant program, FEMA currently has a backlog of 60-90 days to conduct its review and provide a determination on payment,” O’Connor wrote.
Affected funding includes grants for state homeland security, cybersecurity support for local and state governments, and physical security for nonprofits at “high risk of terrorist attack.” It also affects funding for the Urban Areas Security Initiative, which helps urban areas prevent terrorist attacks, and Operation Stonegarden, which provides funding for cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration officers.
Before the most recent delay, Hobbs wrote a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asking the department to immediately release grant funding.
According to that letter, a total $165 million in federal homeland security and FEMA grants were on hold.
“This federal grant funding is essential for maintaining daily operational emergency management and homeland security activities as well as key preparedness initiatives, including law enforcement overtime, intelligence analysts, regional bomb squads, hazardous materials teams, statewide training programs, and emergency communication systems,” Hobbs wrote.
A spokesman for the governor said she has not received a response from Noem, who was in Arizona on Tuesday along with other members of the Trump administration.
Noem did not meet with Hobbs during the trip.
“We have made multiple requests for meetings,” Hobbs spokesman Christian Slater said.
