Gallego Reintroduces Emergency Grant Program Bill for Police & First Responders

Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) has reintroduced legislation to create an emergency grant program for first responders experiencing border-related surges.

Specifically, Sen. Gallego's First Responders Emergency Assistance Act reimburses first responders who experience strained resources while responding to calls related to illegal aliens, leaving them unable to respond to other emergencies.

The program is under the purview of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It is available at the state, local, and Tribal levels, providing extra resources for the equipment, operations, staffing, and overtime needs of law enforcement, first responders, and emergency operation centers, a quarter of which is required to be allocated to border communities, which bear the brunt of illegal alien-related emergencies.

"During surges of illegal immigration at the border, Arizona border communities feel the brunt of it. I've heard directly from local fire and police departments who are answering more immigration-related emergency calls without enough resources," said Sen. Gallego in his press release, adding, "This bill helps reimburse fire and police departments for these costs and delivers the federal support our brave public safety and emergency response workers deserve."

The Arizona Senator previously introduced the bill in February 2024 during his tenure in the House of Representatives, saying, "The current federal funding system provides no additional support for first responders — a deficiency we must correct."

Gallego's First Responders Emergency Assistance Act follows another border-related bill, the Border Patrol Recruitment Enhancement Act, which streamlines the hiring process for Border Patrol agents with prior experience in law enforcement or the military.

June saw only 6,070 encounters along the border for the entire month, with none of the detained aliens released into the United States.

"Conservatives said it all along: we never needed new laws to secure the border. We needed a Commander in Chief to enforce the law," said Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) in response to the news.

Similarly, Representative Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) said, "Two consecutive months with ZERO illegal immigrants let into our country. Amazing. What a difference a President makes."