TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Pima County has used Federal money to create a large migrant shelter system. It’s helped the county avoid Border Patrol releasing migrants to the streets. But the County says Federal money planned for next year will not be enough to keep the program going.
Leaders at the Casa Alitas shelter system say Border Patrol releases people to the shelter who are legally approved to enter the U.S. while immigration courts consider their asylum claims—and it’s a process required by Federal immigration law.
The shelter says most of the people stay there just a day or two as they arrange travel to approved sponsor homes in other cities.
This shelter normally gets maybe 600 people a day, but this week there have been days the number’s been twice that. Shelter director Teresa Cavendish says Casa Alitas has still been able to avoid street releases and the impact they’d have on the community.
“There would be unhoused individuals who have no resources, no knowledge about what to do next. No ability to move forward by and large. They cannot get to the families and sponsors who are available to them here in the US. They would simply be unhoused on our streets, very confused and it would become a public safety and health issue.”
But this shelter and others in the system cost money. County spokesperson Mark Evans says they burn through $1.8 to $2 million a month. He says it’s all Federal money but as of the first of next year funding cuts mean the money could run out sometime in May 2024.
If nothing changes, he foresees people in short-term shelters could be released to Tucson streets by the thousands without any help to move on to sponsor homes.
“It’s obvious, it has to be obvious to everyone that we need this system to prevent that from happening. It's what's right for the community. It's also what's right for these people.”
Teresa Cavendish says surges like this week’s could make the money run out well before May. Both she and Mark Evans say there’s no good answer to what happens then.
It’s true taxpayers foot the bill whether it’s Federal or local, but Evans says county leaders have been very firm that immigration is a Federal issue to be dealt with with Federal dollars—and there is no option—and no money– to apply local tax money to the shelters.
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.