Potential cut in FEMA funding worries El Paso Officials
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- El Paso County relies heavily on FEMA funding to support the sheltering of migrants.
The Trump Administration could change that. The county used to work on a reimbursement basis, where NGOs would pay money and wait for it to come from the government. They changed it recently where they would request money and it would come to spend.
The policy could get reversed back to reimbursement or cut FEMA entirely, which would hurt El Paso.
"Our fear right now is that we have some money left over, but it would not be sufficient, considering all the things that they're talking about," said El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego.
Samaniego said that a lack of funding would be the hardest thing that he's had to deal with in his 6 years as county judge, citing the difficulty of gathering funds from the general pool that would take away from other quality of life services.
Samaniego also told ABC-7 that he's in contact with U.S Congresswoman Veronica Escobar about the funding, but both he and Escobar believe it's that the Republicans would be leaning in a direction that would give money for sheltering.
"You've got, an administration that wants to deport, you know, how could we possibly be thinking of shelters and that same government providing that money?"
Both Samaniego and Escobar have not heard from the federal government about funding for migrants.
"I haven't heard one single item that says that they would fund us to house, to shelter, to provide transportation and, for immigration, you know, to be able to process like we did for so many years."
ABC-7 was able to obtain a statement from El Paso Deputy City Manager Mario D'Agostino, which reads:
With the transition in the federal administration, there have been significant shifts in migration policies that have directly affected the release of migrants into border communities. Policies aimed at stricter enforcement and measures to streamline processing at federal facilities have reduced the number of migrants being released into the community. These changes, in turn, have impacted the demand for local resources and operational support previously provided through federal funding.
Federal funding is specifically allocated to mitigate the operational impacts associated with migrant releases, such as shelter operations and humanitarian assistance. However, with the current reduction in releases, the funding remains largely unused. As a result, reductions in funding at this time have minimal or no impact on City operations.
While we continue to monitor the situation closely and coordinate with our local, state, and federal partners, we also remain committed to advocating for the federal government to address migration policies in an effective and thoughtful manner. It is important to approach these policies with a recognition of the humanity of migrants—individuals and families seeking a better future—while ensuring the needs of local governments and communities are also met.