Gallego proposes migrant emergency responder grant

Democratic Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego is proposing a bill to fund law enforcement, first responders and emergency operation centers in jurisdictions where emergency services are dealing with upticks in migrant arrivals.

Gallego's emergency funding proposal comes in the wake of a failed bipartisan border policy deal in the Senate and as he is running for the Senate seat currently held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.). 

“I’ve heard directly from Arizona’s front-line 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," Gallego said. 

"The current federal funding system provides no additional support for first responders — a deficiency we must correct.”

First responder agencies in communities with large concentrations of newly arrived migrants have for months complained over a lack of resources, from struggling to pay overtime to properly supporting employees tasked with recovering corpses from the Rio Grande.

“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," said Fraternal Order of Police President Patrick Yoes, who endorsed Gallego's bill.

"This program would be available to cover operational costs and assist with staffing needs — including overtime."

The program would also allow for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide grant funding for emergency responders who've lost money as jurisdictions redirect funds to account for new arrivals.

“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," International Association of Fire Fighters General President Edward Kelly said.

"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.”

While Gallego, a progressive, has supported legislation to grant undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship, he has more recently focused on proposals to improve conditions in border communities with overwhelmed social services.

He has pushed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to consider funding packages that prioritize those communities and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to take executive action against travel agencies that encourage irregular migration in the Western Hemisphere.

In November, Gallego put up a plan to fund migrant shelters, after a scuffle with Federal Emergency Management Agency officials over interior cities receiving the lion's share of grant funding for shelters.

While Gallego's emergency responders grant is unlikely to receive solo airtime in a House barreling toward two funding deadlines on March 1 and March 8, appropriators are still discussing a potential DHS funding package.

And the focus on assisting law enforcement provides a platform for Gallego in the Senate race, where he holds a solid lead in a head-to-head race against Republican Kari Lake, but has a smaller lead if Sinema decides to jump in the race.

Sinema, the incumbent, has not said whether she is running for reelection and has yet to file a statement of interest with the Arizona secretary of state — after filing that notice, Sinema would have until April 1 to collect about 42,000 signatures to register as an independent candidate.

“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,” Gallego said.