Rep. DeGette Leads Request for Migrant Support Funding Boost

Earlier this month, CO Rep. DeGette and MA Rep. Trahan led a group of House members to request $3 billion in funding for support for migrant arrivals. 

In a letter sent on March 11, Representatives Diana DeGette and Lori Trahan, from Colorado and Massachusetts, respectively, requested $3 billion in funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program (SSP) that provides funding for states and municipalities to support migrant arrivals.

This request was inspired by the desperate need for funding for immigration systems, as the representatives emphasized the immigration court backlog, which can force some migrants to wait up to six years for an initial hearing, as well as the 150-day work moratorium that requires state and local governments to provide support services for migrants that can cost up to tens of millions of dollars per month. 

It also emphasized how community work is not enough in this situation, despite the efforts from the communities to provide the funding and humanitarian support needed for migrants. The representatives explained that without federal funding, there is only so much that community efforts can do, both short term and in the long run.

This letter is just the latest in Rep. DeGette’s pushes for additional federal aid. Last May, Rep. DeGette co-led members of the Colorado House Democratic delegation in sending a letter to President Biden urging more funds for critical support to interior cities like Denver that are experiencing an influx of migrants while also continuing to provide updates to migrants and asylum seekers on legal pathways for entry and processing.

In December, Rep. DeGette joined members of the Colorado Democratic Congressional Delegation in writing to FEMA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to express concerns about the lack of funding going to non-border states like Colorado that are experiencing a significant arrival of migrants. 

Other House members, including Rep. Jason Crow, also from Colorado, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, signed the letter.