City of Brownsville receives $6 million in federal funding for migrant services
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A resource center is helping the city of Brownsville aid the hundreds of migrants legally crossing through the Gateway International Bridge after they’ve been processed.
The city recently received $6 million in federal funding to help support operations at the Non-citizen Migrant Influx Resource Center.
Odee Ann Leal, Brownsville's emergency management and homeland security director, says the money from the Federal emergency Management Agency will be used to help pay staff and buy food and water that's given to asylum hopefuls.
“This funding does assist us in being able to ensure that we have staff on sight to be able to help this non-citizen migrant get to their final destination,” Leal said. “We do have a budget that we submit, and it's being reviewed by FEMA, and they go ahead and award the money."
Leal says the money is needed as migrants continue to flow through the city.
The number of migrants receiving help through the center has increased in the past two to three weeks from 200 to 350 migrants a day.
Leal says the funding will also help pay for shuttle services to airports and hotels, and equipment such as cellphones.
Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley and Good Neighbor Settlement House in Brownsville also received a combined $11 million in federal funding.
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