McCaul, Gallego Push for Increased Funding for First Responders Impacted by Migrant Crisis

WASHINGTON — This week, U.S. Representatives Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) sent a letter to House Appropriations Committee leadership requesting any Fiscal Year 2024 supplemental appropriations include funding for critical programs to aid first responders in communities impacted by the migrant crisis.

Under the Biden administration’s failed open-border policies, the southwest border has faced an unsustainable increase in migrant encounters. As members note in the letter, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents encountered over 269,000 migrants in September alone, bringing the fiscal year’s total to 2.4 million — the highest number on record. 

In the letter, the members wrote, “Increased operations are stretching the resources of local governments, police, and fire departments to the limit. Without additional funding, many local leaders and decision-makers face a choice – provide only vital services to long-term residents and ignore certain emergency calls they determine to not be top priority or devote resources towards responding to a ballooning migrant population with no end in sight.”

The members concluded, “This funding is critical to providing state and local agencies with the resources they need to hire more police officers, firefighters, and emergency responders, as much-needed equipment and overtime pay for first responders who are already on the frontlines of this crisis.”

Click here to read more about the letter from Fox News.

Full text of the letter can be found here and below.

Dear Chairwoman Granger and Ranking Member DeLauro: 

As you consider potential supplemental appropriations for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, we request that any supplemental funding package include funding for critical programs to aid first- responders in communities impacted by immigration. Across the country, local officials, including police departments, fire departments, and Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs), face significant resource strains related to the migrant crisis. 

As you may know, in recent months we have seen a dramatic uptick in crossings at the southwestern border. The over 269,000 crossings in the last month contributed to a historic 2.4 million total in the last twelve months – the highest number on record, according to the Department of Homeland Security. 

Local police departments are barred from directly enforcing immigration laws. However, first responders, particularly local law enforcement, are fielding significantly more calls, including for organized criminal activity, loitering, trespassing, and emergency response. Even without violent criminal conduct, every call to a police department, fire department, or EOC increases the strain on resources and personnel that makes it harder for them to help taxpaying permanent residents. 

Increased operations are stretching the resources of local governments, police, and fire departments to the limit. Without additional funding, many local leaders and decision-makers face a choice – provide only vital services to long-term residents and ignore certain emergency calls they determine to not be top priority or devote resources towards responding to a ballooning migrant population with no end in sight. 

To that end, should Congress consider any supplemental funding under the Department of Homeland Security or Department of Justice, we request that you consider additional funding for programs that help first responders in the communities being hit hardest by the crisis at the border, including Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants, Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG), and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) grants. This funding is critical to providing state and local agencies with the resources they need to hire more police officers, firefighters, and emergency responders, as much-needed equipment and overtime pay for first responders who are already on the frontlines of this crisis. 

We urge your full and fair consideration of providing additional resources for first responders as part of any supplemental funding package that may come the floor.

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