On Monday, the Las Cruces City Council unanimously approved another $500,000 to deal with the migrant crisis in the city.
This is the second time the council has needed to allocate $500,000 in city funds in recent months.
The money is being used in part for a shelter at an old Armory that has taken in more than 16,000 people since the crisis began.
The city is applying for federal funding to help reimburse the costs incurred for migrant care.
Rep. Xochitl Torres Small’s office recently issued this statement on reimbursement:
Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small (NM-2) convened a conference call with representatives from both Sen. Udall and Heinrich’s offices to update approximately 20 local stakeholders on the status of the $30 million in Congressional funding allocated for reimbursement of local communities through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program. Torres Small, chairwoman of the Oversight, Management and Accountability Subcommittee, spearheaded a July 24th briefing of Department of Homeland Security officials on the status of the border supplemental funding provided to the department in response to the influx of individuals voluntarily presenting at the southern border and to gain further guidance for her constituents.
As part of the conference call, Torres Small reiterated that $25 million of the $30 million Congress dedicated to the Emergency Food and Shelter Program is set aside border states like New Mexico. She also urged potential applicants to gather all their receipts related to food, shelter and transportation of migrants in order to take advantage of the impending notice for local applications.
Rep. Torres Smallled the charge in the House of Representatives to obtain these funds that were being championed by Sen. Udall and Heinrich in the Senate. She urged House appropriators to include reimbursement funds in the border supplemental appropriations bill after meeting with local organizations and governments about the resources they diverted to address the humanitarian crisis at their doors.
“I worked hard with the rest of the delegation to make sure that federal resources would be targeted to the border communities bearing the brunt of the influx of individuals voluntarily presenting on our southern border. It’s my job to cut through the red tape. My office stands ready to provide additional assistance to local stakeholders to ensure they receive the compensation they deserve,” saidTorres Small.
“The town of Deming has gone above and beyond in responding to the challenging situation on our southern border. I want to thank the Congresswoman for her efforts to secure funding to help replenish our city’s coffers and ensure that the additional responsibility we’ve taken on as a city will minimally affect our residents. The support from her office has been incredibly helpful as we navigate this unique situation,” said Aaron Sera, City Manager of Deming, New Mexico.
“As Vice Chair of the local EFSP board for Doña Ana county, part of my role is to ensure that eligible organizations are provided with the resources they need to meet unforeseen challenges with providing food and/or shelter in our communities. I’ve witnessed firsthand how New Mexicans across our border region and our state have come together to provide food and shelter to migrants during this humanitarian crisis. I appreciate the efforts of the Congresswoman and the rest of the New Mexico delegation to secure funding and compensate the tireless and selfless efforts of our neighbors,” said Lorenzo Alba, vice chair of the local EFSP board.