As Customs and Border Protection facilities in Arizona began to be overwhelmed by asylum seekers in February and the agency began releasing hundreds, local nonprofit organizations have stepped in to aid asylum seekers in towns that lack infrastructure and resources. Read more»
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As Pima County continues to host asylum-seekers after their release from Border Patrol stations in Southern Arizona — including t35 people over the weekend in Ajo — Administrator Chuck Huckelberry proposed a contract to drive migrants outlying areas to shelters in Tucson. Read more»
Pima County may be facing another shelter crisis for migrants, and officials are pushing for federal funding to help deal with COVID-19 issues. According to a letter from Arizona's senators, the Border Patrol's capacity in Arizona is already strained. Read more»
Pima County expects to assist about 12,000 asylum-seekers in the coming year, and are seeking more than $1 million in federal funding to "compensate" for the costs of a migrant shelter — which are running about half of July's projection. Read more» 2
Federal officials have rejected a request by Pima County to use part of an Operation Stonegarden grant for humanitarian aid, including funding for a migrant shelter hosted at a section of county's juvenile detention center. Read more» 1
After weeks of controversy, a Tucson shelter for asylum-seekers quietly opened its doors two weeks ago and has hosted about 400 people, after the former wing of the juvenile detention center had been "significantly remodeled." Read more»
On a 3-2 party line vote, Pima County supervisors approved moving a Catholic-run shelter for released migrants into a vacant wing of the juvenile detention center — but not before hearing dissension over the plan from other groups that work with migrants. Read more»
Pima County is asking that more than a half-million dollars in Operation Stonegarden money be directed toward humanitarian aid for asylum-seekers. County Sheriff Napier said he backs the shelter, "even if it all came out of overtime." Read more» 2
At a special meeting next Monday, the Pima County Board of Supervisors will review and potentially approve converting a vacant portion of the juvenile detention center into a shelter for asylum-seekers released by the federal government. Read more»
Plans to turn an unused section of the Pima juvenile detention center into a shelter for released migrants are back on, 24 hours after heated debate led officials to order a halt to work. Read more»
Plans to turn an unused section of the juvenile detention center into a Catholic Community Services shelter for hundreds of released migrants have prompted debate, with activists calling the move a "non-starter," and supporters assailing "second-guessing that undermines the work." Read more» 7