Financial help is on the way for agencies who serve migrants in Yuma County and Southern Arizona.
Locally, the Regional Center for Border Health in Somerton is the lone agency who works with Border Patrol once migrants pass a background check to offer health and travel services, which migrants pay for, as KAWC previously reported.
Previous reports said some agencies could have to end or decrease migrant services this month if funding ended.
RCBH CEO Amanda Aguirre told KAWC "we have funding that could cover services until October/November depending on the surge of migrants numbers."
On April 12, Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema and U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego announced about $55 million in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Shelter and Services Program (SSP) funds to support Arizona communities managing what they call the ongoing border crisis.
World Hunger in Yuma will receive $9,532,854.
In a released statement, Sen. Kelly said “Arizona’s local governments and nonprofits are on the frontlines doing the vital work that keeps asylum seekers and communities safe, and this funding will help them continue operations and support our border communities. Senator Sinema and I fought for these resources, and we’ll continue demanding the federal government prioritize communities at the border.”
Congressman Raul Grijalva has also called for more funding for the border communities of Yuma County and Southern Arizona. In a released statement, Grijalva said "I continue to call for more resources for border communities, additional immigration judges, faster adjudication processes, increased work visas and an eventual pathway to citizenship. As a nation, we must enact policies that tackle the underlying root issues that cause migration, as they will worsen without action.”
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Stay tuned to KAWC for more reporting from the border.
