Operation Stonegarden grants will be distributed to agencies in Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today announced that law enforcement agencies in Southern Arizona will receive more than $9.6 million in federal grants to help fund needed border security operations.
“Securing the southern border of the United States is a major undertaking requiring the cooperation of federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies,” said Giffords. “I welcome this funding from the Department of Homeland Security to assist the hard-pressed agencies in Southern Arizona.”
The $9.6 million to agencies in the Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector is part of $13.8 million that will be coming to Arizona under Operation Stonegarden. The grants are distributed to local law enforcement agencies to reimburse them for border-security related operations.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, money for agencies in Southeastern Arizona will be distributed to local law enforcement agencies in three counties:
• $3,579,406 to Pima County agencies
• $3.3 million to Cochise County agencies
• $2.8 million to Santa Cruz County agencies
Elsewhere in Arizona, law enforcement agencies in Yuma County will receive $4,204,329.
In the past, Arizona law enforcement agencies have used Operation Stonegarden funds to pay overtime for officers who patrol border areas or assist Border Patrol officers at checkpoints or in other operations. The money also has been used for law enforcement equipment used in border-related operations.
Nationwide, DHS today awarded $60 million in Operation Stonegarden funds for 15 states and Puerto Rico. Only Texas will be receiving more funds than Arizona. Texas, which received $17.5 million, has a 1,254-mile border with Mexico compared with Arizona’s 370 miles of border.
In May, Giffords requested $50 million in emergency funding for Operation Stonegarden. This request was approved on July 2 as part of a $701 million appropriation for border security. The appropriation also included $50 million for the deployment of National Guard troops to border states and $208.4 million for additional Border Patrol agents.