Two border-state lawmakers from opposing parties have penned a letter to the head of the House Appropriations Committee in a bipartisan effort to get more money for first responders in communities along the southern border.
Reps. Ruben Gallego, Arizona Democrat, and Michael McCaul, Texas Republican, sent a letter to committee Chairwoman Kay Granger, Texas Republican, and ranking member Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut Democrat, on Tuesday asking for funding for first responders for the 2024 budget if Congress considers more funding for the Departments of Homeland Security or Justice.
“As you consider potential supplemental appropriations for Fiscal Year 2024, we request that any supplemental funding package include funding for critical programs to aid first responders in communities impacted by immigrants,” the lawmakers wrote. “Across the country, local officials, including police departments, fire departments, and Emergency Operations Centers, face significant resource strains related to the migrant crisis.”
The lawmakers’ letter comes as the government heads toward a possible shutdown, with a Nov. 17 deadline.
They mentioned the “dramatic uptick” in people coming through the southern border, saying that “over 269,000 crossings in the last month contributed to a historic 2.4 million total in the last twelve months.”
“Local police departments are barred from directly enforcing immigration laws. However, first responders, particularly local law enforcement, are fielding significantly more calls, including for organized criminal activity, loitering, trespassing, and emergency response” they wrote.
“Even without violent criminal conduct, every call to a police department, fire department, or EOC increases the strain on resources and personnel that makes it harder for them to help taxpaying permanent residents,” the letter said.
Mr, Gallego and Mr. McCaul named multiple programs that any additional funding could go to, including Community Oriented Policing Services, Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grants, Assistance to Firefighters Grants, and EOC grants.
“Increased operations are stretching the resources of local governments, police, and fire departments to the limit,” they wrote. “Without additional funding, many local leaders and decision-makers face a choice – provide only vital services to long-term residents and ignore certain emergency calls they determine to not be top priority or devote resources toward responding to a ballooning migrant population with no end in sight.”
The House so far has passed five out of 12 individual spending bills and is expected to vote on three more this week.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.