FEMA declines Gallego’s invitation to visit southern border: not part of ‘mission space’

Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declined an invitation to tour the border with Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who is running for Senate, according to an email sent to his office.

The officials in the email, first reported by Fox News, said “the border is not part of FEMA’s mission space.”

The email was sent to a staff member in Gallego’s office.

That email was in response to a Sept. 19 letter from Gallego to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. Gallego had asked for extra funding for FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program (SSP) “to both respond to an influx of non-citizens and to continue to address the day-to-day needs of permanent residents.”

“As the former Commissioner of the New York City Emergency Management Office, I know you have extensive experience with the challenges faced by cities in non-border states, and it would be beneficial to see first-hand the different challenges faced in border states like Arizona as well,” Gallego wrote in his September letter.

FEMA’s Oct. 13 rebuttal email indicated “it would be more appropriate, and much more beneficial for constituents in border communities, for [Customs and Border Patrol] to take the lead on this border tour.”

Names were redacted in the email copy obtained by The Hill, but the exchange showed the communication was between an employee at FEMA and an employee with an official House email account. Gallego’s office confirmed that the email was sent to a staff member in his office.

FEMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gallego is running as a Democrat in Arizona against Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), who switched parties last year to become an independent. The GOP nominee is likely to be Kari Lake, a former news anchor who is aligned with former President Donald Trump.

Sinema has also shown frustration over the federal government’s lack of attention and funding for immigration in Arizona.

In June, it was announced that FEMA was set to give $104.6 million to assist New York City, which was seeing a surge of asylum-seekers. New York has received more federal funding than any other city not on the southern border. Sinema said she is “livid” and that it is unfair that the SSP money is going to places other than Texas and Arizona.

In a statement, Gallego said the decision from FEMA is insulting to Arizonans and the agency should be held accountable. 

“Arizona’s border communities have been on the front line of this border crisis. We’ve worked, again and again, to get the Administration to listen to their concerns,” Gallego’s statement said. “When Arizonans complain about the government doing nothing to support them — this is exactly the type of behavior they’re talking about.”

This story was updated at 5:31 p.m.