Espaillat Leads Congressional Response to Successfully Secure Over $104.7 Million in Federal Funding to Support Asylum Seekers

WASHINGTON, DC – This week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced it would disburse an additional $104.7 million in emergency funding from the Shelter and Services Program (SSP) to New York City to support the ongoing efforts by local government and nonprofit entities to provide humanitarian relief to asylum seekers. Earlier this Congress, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13)led a letter to FEMA on behalf of the New York delegation which urged FEMA to swiftly provide New York City with a sizeable portion of the remaining $360 million in SSP funds. On June 12th, FEMA announced that a whopping 30% of the remaining funds available to assist asylum seekers would go to New York City.

“Our work to support migrant families is more critical today than ever as families face dire challenges amid threats of violence, extreme climate conditions, and food insecurity which force them to flee from their homes,” said Rep. Espaillat. “Earlier this Congress, I led New York City’s congressional delegation in calling on FEMA to immediately release additional federal funding to help support our city’s efforts to assist our newest New Yorkers, and I am encouraged by today’s actions by the agency to answer that call. The greatest testament to our national character is our humanity towards others in their most vulnerable time of need, and our city has worked diligently to meet these challenges head on to expand shelter capacity and to provide mental health services, adequate food resources, and appropriate legal services for asylum seekers who arrive here. But New York City does not have to shoulder this work alone, and through funding to the SSP that was provided in last December’s government funding bill, Congress is able to help bolster federal assistance to New York City and other cities to ensure that incoming migrant families are cared for and treated humanely. Today, at our urging, the federal government has made good on its word.”

Today’s announcement from FEMA occurred just one month after FEMA declared it would provide $30 million in SSP funding to New York City to assist with asylum seekers—an amount which Rep. Espaillat and other New York legislators criticized as being insufficient to deal with the scale of the City’s crisis. With this week’s announcement, Rep. Espaillat and the New York delegation have now secured over $134 million in federal SSP funds this year for New York City. These funds will go towards supporting local government and nonprofit organizations with sheltering and feeding migrants, and other support-related activities.

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