(The Center Square) – Government agencies and other organizations in 17 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. have received $363.8 million in federal grant dollars targeted to communities to help aid with their influx of immigrants.
The grants are part of a new Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program. The deadline to apply for aid from that federal program expires Monday, Sept. 11.
The recipients of the federal aid vary and include Catholic charities and dioceses, cities and counties, food banks and the Salvation Army.
The New York Office of Management and Budget received $106.8 million and was the biggest recipient of the program.
Catholic Charities, Diocese of San Diego was awarded $27.91 million. El Paso County received $15.6 million and the city of San Antonio received $13.1 million.
The Illinois Department of Human Services received $19.4 million and the city of Chicago received $10.6 million.
The city of Atlanta received $4.86 million. Philadelphia received $912,057 and Hennepin County in Minnesota received $1.8 million.
The Shelter and Services Program is funded through the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act 2023 and gives grants to municipalities and private agencies for the costs they incur serving immigrants. Funding will be used to pay for shelter, food, transportation, medical care, clothing, administrative and facility costs.
Future funding will be determined by Congress.
The program aims to support agencies while releasing noncitizen migrants from their current short-term holding facilities.
According to FEMA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated 2,766,582 noncitizen migrants sought entry into the United States in 2022. That was a 41% increase when compared to the previous fiscal year. As of May 1, 2023, that number exceeded 1 million for the calendar year to date.
“The present-day irregular migration of noncitizens is unprecedented,” FEMA said in June.
