Welcome to Border Crossroads, a collection of letters from the southern boundary of the United States, where reporters Nico Brambila and Tom Hellauer are documenting the issue that is sweeping into Denver and other interior places.
Nearly$ 6 out of every$ 10 donated by FEMA last year went to just two states: New York and Texas, to help communities deal with the humanitarian crisis brought on by the waves of immigrants crossing the southern border without authorization.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA awarded$ 107.7 million, or 29.1 % of the total money, to communities and nonprofit organizations in New York.
Texas received$ 103.6 million or 28 % of the money.  , Importantly, the town of El Paso is getting honest money from the federal government.
In comparison, Colorado received$ 10.6 million. That’s roughly 3 % of last year’s FEMA awards for its Shelter and Services Program ( SSP) to help offset the costs associated with serving these new immigrant arrivals, despite incessant pleas for more funding from the state’s elected leaders, notably by Denver’s mayor, as well as from congressional delegates.  ,  ,  ,  ,
When FEMA is anticipated to release more funding later this year, the allocation problem will return. Denver’s funds are currently being stressed by the city’s inability to raise more money so that it has begun cutting services to its residents to make room for the immigrants.  ,  ,  ,
Nearly a dozen non- border state — Colorado, Illinois and New York, among them, and Washington D. C.  , — collectively received$ 169.7 million, or 46 % of the help.
Still, roughly$ 1 in every$ 5 FEMA dollars in fiscal year 2023 were awarded to the four states — Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California — , that border Mexico. And states on the frontier, or those within 100 yards of Mexico, received 32 % of the money, FEMA’s distribution show.
El Paso County Community Services ‘ professional director, Irene Gutierrez, stated that” the border area has always been prioritized with investing because the problem has always fallen on us.”
Mario D’Agostino, the assistant town manager for El Paso, credited his city and county with getting$ 28.8 million in FEMA sanctuary funds to properly communicate border needs with extensive details on the effect of the crisis.
” El Paso has demonstrated efficient coordination among local, state, and federal agencies, creating a unified response to the charitable demands of workers”, D’Agostino said in a statement to The Denver Gazette. The City’s rulers have played a vital role in fostering strong collaborations with important stakeholders at all ranges, utilizing resources, and advocating for the assistance needed to manage the problems effectively.
It is not apples to apples, according to the saying.
State and local officials claim that Colorado’s congressional committee has done everything in its power to increase funding for a charitable work that is mainly funded by Denver taxpayers.
Given that Denver has a significantly smaller people compared to New York City and Texas, it was expected Colorado’s most populous city may get less money, said Jordan Fuja, a Mayor Mike Johnston director.
It’s no apples to apples to assess areas to one another, Fuja wrote in an email to The Denver Gazette.” While we have all received grant money from the FEMA SSP, it is not grapes to everyone.”
” NYC, for example, has gone on record about spending$ 4 billion supporting migrants. Denver, in contrast, has spent$ 60 million”.
Mayor of New York City Eric Adams has vehemently demanded that the Biden presidency do more to assist places like his in absorbing the costs and stress of the immigration issue.
We have asked the federal government to initiate a resettlement plan, promote asylum seekers ‘ work authorizations, and provide much-needed and substantial financial assistance to New York City, according to Adams.
Over the past two decades, New York City has received more than 175, 000 newcomers compared to the almost 40, 000 who have come to Denver.
Denver authorities accepted the responsibility to partially house, supply, and then transfer these new arrivals to their final destination early in the problems.
Not all of the 40, 000 immigrants who came to Denver, most of whom were improperly crossing the border with Mexico, intend to stay. However, about half of city officials ‘ vehicle, plane, and train tickets have been purchased for westward travel, according to estimates.  ,
By virtue of their proximity to Mexico, border states have suffered the most from the immigrant storms. But many of those immigrants, according to El Paso officials in east Texas, are headed for the perceived security of internal cities, quite as Denver, that are outside the 100- hour border police area.
Big-city areas like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami have also continued to be a major draw for immigrants and have long been gateway cities for immigrants.
Resettlement for you and decompression for us
The border communities have been forced to decompress the immigrant surge, while cities in the interior of the country are attempting to resettle them, but this movement intimates two urgent, but very different, needs.
Although John Martin, deputy director of The Opportunity Center for the Homeless in El Paso Texas, was not surprised by FEMA’s funding allocations, he also acknowledged the “untenable” financial situation cities like Denver face.
According to Martin,” the federal government needs to recognize that interior communities will have a different priority.” Resettlement for you and decompression for us.
Prior to the start of the latest wave, Johnston had advised department heads to cut budgets by up to 15 % and estimated that up to$ 80 million would be required for his city this year alone. The Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Parks & Recreation’s closures last month are expected to lower those costs by about$ 120 million.
More belt tightening is expected.
The roughly$ 4 billion FEMA didled out last year to help communities cope with the influx of immigrants pales in comparison to the$ 370 million New York City has spent on the crisis.
Border and destination communities are essentially competing for a “tiny pot” of money, said Gutiérrez in west Texas.
” It does n’t even scratch the surface of what’s needed”, Gutiérrez said.
Johnston previously stated that the bipartisan border bill would have reduced the record number of illegal border crossings and provided$ 1.4 billion in funding for interior cities like Denver.
After former President Donald Trump, the eventual Republican nominee, earlier this year, criticized the proposal, GOP senators resisted advancing the deal.
The Senate’s bipartisan border package, Fuja said, “had critical funding for local cities that would’ve helped close that gap.
” But with the failure of that bill, it’s clear that no more support is coming for cities like Denver,” she said”. The city is constantly working to encourage federal action, find ways to reduce costs for newcomers, and find ways to improve the cost of our work.
White House representatives did not respond to a number of emails and phone calls requesting comment.
‘Relentless’
Despite numerous requests for fiscal assistance from state and local leaders, Colorado received a relatively small allocation in comparison to other locations.
Notably, Johnston has recently conducted a press tour to highlight the strain on Denver’s finances, in addition to two White House appearances.  ,  ,
The Colorado Gazette also received examples of the actions Colorado’s congressional delegations have taken to increase funding for Colorado.
For example, Kaitlin Hooker, a spokesperson for U. S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, said the senator has been in” constant communication” with federal officials, advocated for extending temporary protected status for Venezuelans last year and aided the city in obtaining expedited work authorizations for immigrants.
To illustrate his efforts to move the price of money in the direction of Colorado, the Polis administration cited press releases, news reports, the governor’s meeting with President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C., and a letter from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
According to Shelby Wieman, a spokesperson for Governor,” The Governor has continued to call for action at the federal level to address this crisis.” Polis, said in an email”. States and cities ca n’t do this alone, and we need Congress to stop clinging to accountability and step up.
And Fuja rattled off a list of well-known, in-person events that Johnston has organized to persuade the federal government to fund Denver, including press conferences with U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and the mayors of Chicago and New York City.
In the upcoming months, it will be clearer whether or not these efforts were sufficient.
” Your congressional delegation should be your most ardent advocacy group,” Gutiérrez said”. They should be hounding FEMA and the Biden Administration.”
Because Adams was frequently in the media, Gutiérrez sees it this way: New York City was able to get funding so quickly.
” They were relentless,” Gutiérrez said.
