Five House Democrats from Arizona on Monday asked the Department of Homeland Security to consider deploying Federal Emergency Management Agency resources and personnel to help respond to the “humanitarian crisis” at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Reps. Ruben Gallego, Raúl Grijalva, Ann Kirkpatrick, Tom O’Halleran, and Greg Stanton told acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan in a letter they would be supportive if he chose to activate FEMA to help handle the tens of thousands of families and children coming into federal custody at the southern border each month.
“[D]o you believe that FEMA has the authority to provide additional resources to reduce the burden on other DHS agencies, localities, and local groups who are overwhelmed by this crisis? If so, we strongly urge you to leverage these resources,” the lawmakers wrote.
[Related: Number of Democrats concerned about illegal immigration more than triples]
Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., told reporters at a press conference in Yuma, Ariz., last month she opposed taking money from FEMA and instead wanted to address asylum protocols.
The Trump administration began warning of a “crisis” at the border late last year. Since then, the number of people apprehended for illegal entry has spiked from 70,000 to 92,000 in March.
Although FEMA workers are typically sent to areas where major natural disasters have hit, sending people and resources to the southern border would not be unprecedented. At the height of the unaccompanied minors surge in June 2014, former President Barack Obama called in FEMA to oversee the federal response to the more than 5,000 children arriving at the border.
In March, nearly 9,000 unaccompanied children showed up and another 60,000 people taken into custody were families.
The group of Democrats told McAleenan they are disappointed with the department’s attempt to set up a cell to oversee the federal effort to deal with the “humanitarian crisis.”
Five weeks ago, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen tapped its Joint Task Force West director, Manuel Padilla, to oversee an interagency border emergency cell. Padilla’s job was to improve the sharing of information and coordinating support among DHS agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, CBP, and Citizenship and Immigration Services.
But the lawmakers said since Nielsen’s sudden departure in mid-April, DHS has not shared any information about the cell’s work or how it is assisting agencies.
“At the moment, it appears that this cell is insufficient to adequately coordinate the response to the humanitarian crisis. Please explain what Mr. Padilla’s role will be moving forward and what resources you will provide him to do his job,” the letter states. “It is imperative that the federal coordinator gather and analyze information from local officials to resolve logistical, personnel, and capacity issues as well as coordinate with and leverage state, local, tribal, and non-governmental resources. This is a complex, multi-jurisdictional problem that requires a centralized command and coordination structure.”
The Democratic coalition wants to see DHS appoint a new federal crisis coordinator or enhance Padilla’s responsibilities so that not only the government response is understood and being carried out swiftly, but nongovernmental organizations can better coordinate with DHS agencies.
In early April, the White House was reported to be considering naming an immigration czar to his staff, though no announcements have been made.
Padilla was temporarily reassigned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Response Coordination Center in Washington. He was previously the chief of Border Patrol’s busiest sector on the southern border, the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.
