Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) and Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO-01) led a group of House members requesting $3 billion in funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program (SSP) that provides funding to states to and municipalities to support migrant arrivals.

“Local communities across the country have stepped up to provide humanitarian support to those in need. In Woburn, Massachusetts local community leaders and school teachers worked to clothe and feed migrants. In Denver, one neighborhood Facebook mom’s group has grown to multiple parts of the city, helping migrant families with everything from clothing and food to transportation to various meetings and appointments. In Chicago volunteers ensured that over 100 migrants were rehoused before their shelter closed down,” the lawmakers wrote. “However, without additional federal resources these communities and so many others can only do so much. There is a resounding need from cities and towns across the country for increased federal support to provide migrants with short term humanitarian services.

The request sent today pointed to the immigration court backlog, which can force some migrants to wait up to six years for an initial hearing, as well as the 150-day work moratorium that has forced state and local governments to provide shelter and support services that can total tens of millions of dollars per month. The request sent today to House appropriators expressed the urgency in allocating a total of $3 billion in federal funding for the SSP program for Fiscal Year 2024 to get desperately needed federal funds surged to states experiencing surges in migrant arrivals.

“Multiple bipartisan groups of lawmakers have worked toward immigration compromises, including the recently unveiled national security supplemental negotiated by Senate Democrats and Republicans,” the lawmakers continued. “However, the bipartisan Senate deal has already been discarded and House Republican leadership has not expressed intent to bring bipartisan immigration reform to the floor before the election. Congressional gridlock on immigration reform has exacerbated the need for SSP dollars to support affected cities and towns.”

Members who signed the letter sent today include Representatives James P. McGovern (MA-02), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Jason Crow (CO-06), William R. Keating (MA-09), Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-07), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (IL-04), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Sean Casten (IL-06), Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), and Robert J. Menendez (NJ-08).

In December 2023, Trahan led members of the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation in writing to FEMA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security expressing concerns about the lack of federal funding going to non-border states like Massachusetts experiencing a significant influx of migrants and requesting additional federal support for the Commonwealth’s shelter and service programs. In July 2023, the Delegation wrote to DHS and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services urging the administration to streamline and expedite the processes for approving work authorizations for migrants. In September 2022, the Delegation wrote to DHS and FEMA requesting accelerated disbursement of Emergency Food and Shelter Program funding for organizations providing humanitarian assistance to migrants in Massachusetts. 

A copy of the letter sent today can be accessed HERE.

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