DEPARTMENT: Government & Public Affairs
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Jeff Coyle
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S) IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT: Federal Update - Request for Federal Reimbursement and Assistance for Services provided to Migrant Asylum Seekers
SUMMARY:
The Intergovernmental Relations Committee (IGR) will receive an update briefing on the Migrant Resource Center and the City’s efforts to request reimbursement and assistance from the federal government to address the increase of individuals transiting through San Antonio as they move through the asylum process.
BACKGROUND:
Since March 30th, the City of San Antonio has been working with Catholic Charities, the Interfaith Welcome Coalition (IWC), the San Antonio Food Bank, Travis Park Church and other non-profit partners and community volunteers to assist asylum seekers traveling through San Antonio to reach their final destinations with designated sponsors. These individuals are transported to San Antonio from federal agencies after they have been processed at the US-Mexico border and assigned court dates for asylum hearings throughout the country.
City Council has approved allocations of up to $141,000 for the remainder of fiscal year 2019 to help support nonprofit agencies providing support, food and sheltering and City staff continues to volunteer at the resource center. Government & Public Affairs (GPA) is engaging the federal government on identifying funds for reimbursement and to address the large number of individuals and families moving through communities on and near the border.
The City and its nonprofit partners are providing a compassionate layover that includes shelter, meals, travel assistance, and medical triage to these individuals so that they can safely arrive at their designated locations. United States Customs and Border Protection has notified the City that we will continue to see increased numbers of asylum seekers transiting through San Antonio for the foreseeable future. While most individuals being served have final destinations identified, recently some migrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola have arrived without a designated sponsor. The situation has placed an increased burden on the available funding and staff to manage and care for asylum seekers.
ISSUE:
The City and nonprofit partners continue to utilize local resources for what is fundamentally a federal government responsibility.
GPA is working closely with the San Antonio Congressional Delegation to identify opportunities for reimbursement for City and nonprofit funds spent on this humanitarian issue. A potential path has been identified in the form of an appropriation in the FY 2020 Homeland Security federal appropriations bill. GPA is also working with the Congressional Delegation to identify existing agency programs to support humanitarian relief efforts as a stop-gap measure before approval of the appropriations bill.
The City has also been in coordination with the federal government to address the issue of large numbers of migrants arriving in San Antonio without designated sponsors at their ultimate destination.
The purpose of this briefing is to inform and update the IGR Committee on the Migrant Resource Center efforts to date as well as the status of City’s efforts to request reimbursement and assistance from the federal government. GPA will continue to provide updates to IGR as information emerges.
ALTERNATIVES:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
RECOMMENDATION:
This item is for briefing purposes only.