Senate Passes Funding Bill That Includes $30 million to Help Cities Like Portland Cope with Asylum Seekers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, announced today that the Senate voted 84-8 to pass an emergency supplemental appropriations bill that provides humanitarian assistance and border security. Senator Collins previously voted to advance this legislation out of Committee last week.
The legislation provides a total of $4.59 billion for the border crisis, including $30 million to help communities that are experiencing an influx of asylum seekers. The bill also provides significant funding to alleviate the deteriorating conditions at some detention centers.
“This bill provides badly needed funding to help address humanitarian needs arising out of the crisis on the southern border. I am especially pleased that the bill includes billions of dollars to address the appalling conditions—including a shortage of soap and toothpaste—many children are experiencing in DHHS custody. In addition, I am grateful that it contains $30 million in funding for communities like Portland that are struggling to cope with the expenses associated with a surge in families and children seeking asylum in our country,” said Senator Collins. “While some nearby communities are already pitching-in to help, and more than a thousand volunteers have stepped forward to help out, meeting the humanitarian needs of these asylum seekers should not fall only on the City of Portland or the people of Maine. We are facing a national crisis at our southern border, which requires a national solution.”
“I have noted on many occasions that the security system on the southern border is broken, and the arrival of hundreds of asylum seekers in Portland, Maine – nearly 2,500 hundred miles from the Rio Grande – underscores this fact,” Senator Collins continued. “It’s clear that we need comprehensive immigration reform, stronger border security, a better way of handling asylum claims, more immigration judges, a sensible system for guest workers, and a long-term solution for DREAMers. This bipartisan bill will provide funding to cover clear humanitarian needs, and I am hopeful it will serve as a first step toward the larger reform that is needed.”
The $4.59 billion bipartisan package includes:
- $30 million for Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse states and localities for expenses they have incurred related to the massive influx of migrants;
- $2.88 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services to provide safe and appropriate shelter and care for children in its custody;
- $1.1 billion for Customs and Border Protection to establish migrant care and processing facilities, provide medical care and consumables, and pay travel and overtime costs for personnel;
- $209 million for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to fund transportation costs and medical care for detainees, conduct human trafficking operations, and pay travel and overtime costs for personnel;
- $220 million for the Department of Justice to help process immigration cases and provide badly needed resources to the U.S. Marshals Service for the care and detention of Federal detainees; and
- $145 million for the various branches of the U.S. military who have incurred operating expenses in support of multiple missions along the border.
