More than $7.5 million of the border community funding announced by Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) last month will be given to a nonprofit that reportedly helps illegal immigrants transition to life in the United States while waiting for their asylum cases to be adjudicated in a process that can take up to seven years.
The funding is part of the $47.3 million in funding Gallego announced on August 28 that he secured for Arizona under the Department of Homeland Security’s Shelter and Services Program (SSP).
According to Gallego’s office, about $38 million of the funding will go to the State of Arizona and Pima County, but a press release reveals $7.5 million is set to be distributed to the Regional Center for Border Health, Inc., which ABC 15 Arizona reported in March has created a “transition center for migrants.”
The outlet reported the Regional Center for Border Health, focused in Yuma County, helps “migrants on the next leg of their journey once they are released by Border Patrol agents and their asylum requests play out in immigration court,” with the nonprofit reportedly welcoming the migrants in “busloads.”
When encountering the transition services offered by the Regional Center for Border Health, the outlet reported migrants are greeted with “food, water, and COVID testing,” as well as opportunities to connect to the internet and charge mobile devices.
Gallego called the funding “critical” to sustaining communities along Arizona’s southern border.
“Our border communities are on the frontlines of the border crisis, and we cannot leave them to deal with it on their own,” stated Gallego. “I won’t stop fighting for more funding – like that announced today – and to fix our broken immigration system.”
The Democrat has been accused of attempting to moderate his political image ahead of the November election by his Republican opponent, Kari Lake, who last month accused Gallego of “[f]lip flopping on the issues” in a bid to “trick Arizonans into thinking he’s a moderate.”
Recent polling found 84 percent of Americans think “illegal immigration is bad for the United States,” compared to just 12 percent who think it is positive for the country. In comparison, other polling found that 75 percent of Americans would like to see American troops stationed at the border.
Despite widespread opposition to illegal immigration, nearly half of voters expect it will increase further if Vice President Kamala Harris is elected president in November.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Regional Center for Border Health, Inc. Building” by Regional Center for Border Health, Inc.
