Pima County has beenawarded $21.8 million to continue efforts with temporary shelters for asylum seekers.
Organizations partnered with Pima County have been providing transportation, food and temporary shelter for migrants to prevent people from turning to the streets. The money was awarded as part of Homeland Security Shelter Service’s $650 million project.
“We’re trying to do is continually make sure that the federal government pushing this (Border issue) aside doesn't become the responsibility of Pima County or individual cities,” said ?Pima County Board of Supervisors Chair Adelita Grijalva.
More than $300 million will be awarded through grants for this project. Arizona got a small portion directed to some counties closer to the border.
“It is a federal problem that Pima County is being helpful because ultimately, we know what the consequences will be. The responsibility will come on our individual communities,” Grijalva said.
In 2019, over 18,000 asylum seekers received help from Casa Alitas, one of the county’s partner organizations. More than 200,000 migrants were helped in 2023 according to a report from Pima County Grants Management and Innovation .
In a press release from Pima County, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said she was happy for the monetary aid. In January, Pima County reported they were running low in funds. Gov. Katie Hobbs appealed to members of Congress to seek additional funds, according to the press release.
"They understand the important role this coalition plays in keeping Tucsonans and Legally Processed Asylum Seekers safe,” said Romero in the press release. “I look forward to Congress working on permanent solutions including comprehensive immigration reform, so we can realize the benefits of lawful cross-border trade and travel.”
Casa Alita and Catholic Community Services pick asylum seekers up from port cities and help organize the people to where they are needing to go.
“We won't have street releases in those communities. Nobody else will have to do the heavy lifting,” Grijalva said.
The asylum seekers’ families, sponsors or others are usually in other states, said Grijalva.
“Their destination is not in Arizona, it's outside of Arizona. So, we're just figuring out transportation or building communities,” Grijalva said.
Mark Evans, Pima County communications manager, said the people they are helping have entered legally and are seeking relief from desperate situations. Asylum seekers are waiting a court date, and they are legally allowed to wait in the U.S., said Evans.
“That's the law that we're dealing with. I know there's the laws people wish it to be, but that's not the law we deal with,” Evans said.
Organizations such as Catholic Community Services do the physical work of providing housing and food while the county serves as more of a fiscal agent. Evans said the county contracts Catholic Community Services to provide basic needs for migrants.
“Catholic Community Services employs a number of people who were there to do the intake and do the processing to provide services because it's obviously the absolute right thing to do,” Evans said.
The average stay of participants of these services is between 24-36 hours said Grijalva.
“And that's not good for us. It's not good for our communities. It's not good for the neighborhoods,” said Evans. “It's especially not good for the asylum seekers.”
As of March 2024, Pima County accounted for over 420,000 migrants coming across the border.
“We were just trying to make sure that our community continues to be safe and people that are coming here on our legal asylum seekers,” Grijalva said.
From March 28 to April 3, more than 3,000 migrants received help from partnered organizations. The daily average was 545 people according to the Southwest Border Executive Situational Report .
Grijalva said at one point they were seeing 1,500 migrants enter a day. If the current trend of 500 migrants or less continues Grijalva said the funds can be “stretched further.”
“One of the absolute motivating factors of why we're doing this is an abundance of kindness. It's the right thing to be doing,” Evans said.
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