In Support of Direct Resources to Non-Governmental Organizations to Address the Humanitarian Crisis at the Southern Border
Adopted at the 90th Annual Meeting in 2022
WHEREAS, supplemental EFSP funding has previously been provided for costs associated with providing humanitarian relief, shelter, and services to migrants released from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) custody or encountered by DHS at the southern border; and
WHEREAS, typically, supplemental EFSP funds are allocated via a competitive award process through which the National Board prioritizes awards to communities most affected by the humanitarian crisis, such as southern border state Local Recipient Organizations (LROs) that can document expenditures made to migrants encountered by DHS at the southern border; and
WHEREAS, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance (SAHA) and Security at the Southern Border Act, 2019, provided $30 million for the EFSP for eligible services to southern border migrants that were released from DHS; and
WHEREAS, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (P.L. 117–2) provided $110 million for the EFSP for organizations providing humanitarian assistance to migrants at the southern border; and
WHEREAS, in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103), Congress provided an additional $150 million for the EFSP "for the purposes of providing shelter and other services to families and individuals encountered by the Department of Homeland Security"; and
WHEREAS, the FY 2023 President's Budget Request for DHS includes $24 million for the EFSP-Humanitarian Relief "to provide critical resources to migrants crossing the southern border and communities providing humanitarian relief to the thousands of families and individuals that do so"; and
WHEREAS, migration at the southern border has been increasing at an unprecedented level, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reporting 221,303 Enforcement Encounters in March 2022, compared to 173,277 in March 2021, and 103,731 in March 2019; and
WHEREAS, according to DHS, CBP is currently encountering an average of 7,800 migrants per day at the southern border, an approximate 480 percent increase from the pre-pandemic average of 1,600 per day; and
WHEREAS, southern border states and cities, in particular, face a crisis in providing food, shelter, and other humanitarian aid to migrants and families; and
WHEREAS, local resources are being strained and shelters are stretched beyond capacity.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors calls on Congress to maintain a supplemental funding level of $150 million for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program in FY 2023 to provide local governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) the necessary resources to address the humanitarian crisis at the southern border.