Feds Freeze $7M for Pima County Migrant Shelters, Suggest Local Officials Are Enabling Illegal Immigration

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has informed Pima County officials that it will withhold funds designated for operating migrant shelters. This decision comes amid allegations that federal dollars were being misused to incentivize migration for asylum.

Over the past six years, Pima County’s federally-funded initiative has supported more than half a million asylum seekers, incurring a cost of approximately $120 million. All migrants were processed legally through immigration officials.

Currently, about $7 million remains unpaid by the federal government for the county’s incurred expenses, according to Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher. In a memo to the Board of Supervisors, she revealed that a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) official had sent a letter announcing the temporary withholding of payments concerning the Shelter and Services Program, which has allocated over $117 million to assist around 518,000 asylum seekers, including families with children.

Cameron Hamilton, the acting FEMA Administrator during the Trump administration, expressed significant concerns regarding the use of Shelter and Services Program funding, suggesting that it may have benefited entities involved in illegal activities. The letter mandated that the county supply detailed information on the services provided to each migrant, or assert that such data had already been previously submitted to DHS/FEMA.

Pima County officials have regularly collected A-numbers—identifiers assigned by Customs and Border Protection (CBP)—for each migrant served in their shelters, and this information has been included in reimbursement requests to federal grant authorities.

Lesher previously expressed concerns about potential fund halts due to changes in the administration, and the recent letter from DHS confirmed those worries. Nevertheless, she stated that the county is open to federal scrutiny and insists that all migrants assisted had been processed and released by CBP.

A significant portion of the pending disbursement involves $5.9 million that the county has already submitted for reimbursement, along with approximately $800,000 in wrap-up expenses as the program concludes.

For nearly six years, Pima County has collaborated with Catholic Community Services in Tucson, facilitating assistance for migrants post-release by CBP. This initiative has successfully avoided instances where asylum seekers were released into the streets without resources, according to county officials.

Since September 2023, with support from state emergency managers, the program has also aided in transporting thousands of migrants dropped off in smaller counties, thereby alleviating local pressures. Similar programs in Yuma have ensured the protection of asylum seekers and assisted their transportation to shelters in Maricopa County.

Lesher indicated that the same FEMA letter received by Pima County was also distributed to state officials and various county entities involved in aiding migrants. The program received praise from federal, state, and local officials, demonstrating its effectiveness; DHS awarded $55 million to Arizona last April alone.

Lesher emphasized that all the federal funding for the county was allocated through standard competitive processes established by DHS. She reiterated that the Temporary Sheltering Program, initiated during the Trump administration, was conducted with the direct involvement and awareness of DHS agencies, noting that CBP was responsible for processing and releasing asylum seekers to the county’s shelters.

In an effort to reassure DHS, county officials were required to sign affidavits confirming that neither they nor their contracting agencies had engaged in activities contrary to federal law regarding harboring undocumented migrants.

The scrutiny directed at Pima County echoes similar allegations made by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against a Catholic shelter network, highlighting ongoing tensions regarding the treatment of migrants at the southern U.S. border.

In January, Lesher anticipated winding down shelter efforts due to a halt in the release of legally processed asylum seekers. The transition resulted in no new releases to the county’s designated shelters. Lesher later noted that the program would be closing, citing its significance in providing humanitarian aid to vulnerable populations in the region.

Reflecting on the county’s contributions, Lesher stated that without their leadership in coordinating and obtaining necessary funding, many migrants would have faced dire circumstances on the streets of Southern Arizona. She commended the collaborative efforts of numerous local agencies and volunteers that made the program possible.