Federal and state officials have denied Pima County Supervisors’ request to use Operation Stonegarden grant funding towards reimbursement costs related to humanitarian aid, according to a Dec. 26 memo from County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry.
Last May, the supervisors voted 3-2 to accept the controversial grant, with a condition stating more than $200,000 of that money should cover the cost of housing and providing services to the large influx of asylum seekers experienced during that time.
Democratic Supervisor Sharon Bronson was the swing vote and sided with Republican Supervisors Ally Miller and Steve Christy to approve the funding. Democratic Supervisors Ramón Valadez and Richard Elías voted against the measure.
Community activists who oppose the use of Operation Stonegarden in Pima County say the program promotes collaboration between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents, which targets immigrant communities within Southern Arizona.
When the supervisors approved it, activists criticized their decision and said the plan to use federal money for humanitarian aid reimbursement would not work.
Now their criticisms have been validated, as Huckelberry explained in his memo that the county learned “indirectly” from Sheriff Mark Napier that US Border Patrol (USBP) and the Arizona Department of Homeland Security (AZDHS) denied their request. He said the reasons used to deny the request were “seriously flawed,” but the department has the authority to do so “unilaterally without appeal.”
Huckelberry wrote that USBP and AZDHS were concerned that the supervisors had previously rejected the Stonegarden funding in 2017. That decision was made after intense public criticism over the partnership between the sheriff’s department and federal immigration authorities such as Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In a letter from USBP Chief of Law Enforcement Operations Brian Hastings and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistant Administrator Bridget Bean, AZDHS was informed that Pima County’s request for the reimbursement funds were denied because they believe “there is no border security operational benefit derived from this reallocation request.”
They also wrote that while reviewing the request for humanitarian aid reimbursement, they took into consideration “the previous voluntary return of over $1.2 million in FY17 operational funds by Pima County, which resulted in the loss of over 11,000 Operation Stonegarden-funded overtime hours.”
Huckelberry took issue with that point in his memo, saying Pima County’s previous rejection of the grant allowed the money to be reallocated to other agencies. Essentially, it was not a loss of funds.
He also argued in a response letter to AZDHS Director Gilbert Orrantia that local non-governmental community organizations were so overwhelmed by the influx of asylum seekers that the county had to take action, or else Border Patrol would have had to “deal with the ill-will from releasing several thousand asylum seekers to the streets of Tucson.”
Huckelberry asked Orrantia if there is any possibility the county can appeal the rejection, but has yet to hear back. For now, the possibility of the county receiving reimbursements for the cost of housing asylum seekers within the Pima County Juvenile Justice Complex remains uncertain.
This article appears in Dec 26, 2019 – Jan 1, 2020.
Just tell the federal government you are going to use the funds to buy extra holding cages and mylar blankets for the incarceration of people and then declare an “emergency” and divert the funds to what ever special pet project you want — or is that something only the president can do?
since we are, after all a sanctuary city, which makes some of our community feel really good about themselves, the resulting increases in crime, the homeless, and need for social services is not surprising. By the way sgs, the cages were built during the Obama administration. In a community of finite resources, I’d take the dough in a NY minute so that we can do good, not just feel good!
Flappy,
Tucson is NOT a sanctuary city (see link below — from the “failing” New York Times) and I’m not talking about some old weak cages from a “weak” president, I’m talking about the biggest, best, excellent, tremendous, beautiful cages assembled by non-union ‘mericans of cheap metal from China at triple the cost because of tariffs because it’s all about winning.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/06/us/ariz…
If you look back on the debate about whether to accept the Stonegarden funds, the Board of Supervisors originally rejected the funding so as not to be beholden to federal immigration authorities in doing their job enforcing violations of immigration law. The Board was persuaded to accept the funds, by Sheriff Napier, only after it was argued that the funds could also be used to fund refugee assistance programs. The USBP position is narrow minded and short sighted, because having a bunch of refugees on the street with no assistance or services while their applications are pending, is not good for anyone, and just serves to destabilize the situation. Not all border security should be defined through the lens of military and police power.
The acceptance of these funds was predicated on a chunk of them being used for the humanitarian needs of refugees. Was it foreseeable that the Trump administration would deny the use of these funds for that purpose?
It is foreseeable that the sanctuary city and county would try to divert funds for their own pet projects. And yet we must threaten to sue to do their jobs and repair our failing road infrastructure.
“Was it foreseeable that the Trump administration would deny the use of these funds for that purpose?” — Howard Duran
It was absolutely predictable as long as Stephen Miller is advising on immigration. By now, there is little doubt that Miller — a white supremist, xenophobic, day-walking vampire — is channeling the Nazis in his quest for a final solution to the issue of immigration.
Of course, you cannot let Sheriff Napier off the hook. Based on his experience working with the Federal Government, you know he knew those funds would never be used for humanitarian purposes, but he said what he had to say to get the politicians to OK accepting the money.
Seems to be the not-so-new paradigm for everyone today — say what you need to then do what you want.
Have you been to the downtown public libary lately ? If you have, you’ll agree with me , it’s become a daytime dayroom for the growing number of Tucson’s homless community. I would like to see this gov’t funding, used for a building that would give homeless people a place where they could find refuge from the elements, during the day hours, a place where they could get counsiling on drug addition and mental help. A place where they could find temperary daylabor placement, giving them an oppourtunity to perhaps find some encouregement in life, and a desire to move forward.