Sheltering Costs for Rising Numbers of Migrants Hits $7M/Month in Arizona Border Sector; NYC Spends $35 Million for 2 Migrant Hotels as Border Crisis Festers

EXCLUSIVE: Sheltering Costs for Rising Numbers of Migrants Hits $7M/Month in Arizona Border Sector:

According to a source within CBP, the cost to accommodate the recent spike in migrant encounters in the Tucson Border Patrol Sector is rising rapidly as existing processing facilities reach their capacity. With an operating cost of nearly $7 million each month, one facility in Tucson is undergoing an expansion project to double its capacity to hold migrants. The cost to operate the facility, according to the source, will double as well.

On Sunday, Breitbart Texas observed the construction project to expand the 80,000-square-foot processing center located at 4550 East Los Reales Road in Tucson, Arizona, erected in 2021. The facility was initially designed to accommodate 500 migrants but exceeded its capacity in recent months due to an increase in migrant crossings in the area, according to the source. The initial contract to operate the facility was in excess of $100 million and has been extended to include the current expansion intended to avoid further overcrowding.

The facility is one of two being operated by the Border Patrol in the state of Arizona. The contractor overseeing the expansion in Tucson is Miami-based Logistic Events Corp. As Breitbart Texas looked on, construction crews were continuing to erect the soft-sided structure as materials arrived. The source says the enhancement created a need for some parts of the facility to rely on diesel generators to accommodate the increased demand for electrical power.

In August, Border Patrol Agents in the Tucson sector apprehended nearly 49,000 migrants according to unofficial reports reviewed by Breitbart Texas. The number is a more than 160 percent jump from the 18,506 apprehended in August of 2022. The Tucson Sector, according to the unofficial report, led all other southwest border sectors in migrant encounters. Since October, more than 322,000 migrants have been apprehended by Border Patrol agents in the Tucson area, up from 230,000 for the same timeframe in 2022.

The increase in migrant crossings is also impacting costs incurred by non-government shelters that receive the released migrants and coordinate travel to the interior of the United States. Most of the expenses to accommodate the migrants are eventually reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to the source. —>READ MORE HERE

NYC spends $35 million for 2 migrant hotels as border crisis festers:

New York City has forked over $35 million to a pair of nonprofits to house migrants at hotels in Manhattan and Queens — part of the $5.2 billion racked up so far to navigate the growing crisis, The Post has learned.

The city’s Department of Homeless awarded $26.4 million to the Volunteers of America to aid migrants at the Paul Hotel in Midtown, and another $9.48 million to Lutheran Social Services of Metropolitan New York, which has been hosting migrants at a Fairfield Inn in Long Island City.

Both locations are designated in the city record as a “city sanctuary facility for families with children” and are among the 200 city shelters currently housing nearly 60,000 migrants.

Mayor Eric Adams has claimed the cost to shelter and provide other services to the asylum seekers — which so far is $5.2 billion — could shatter $12 billion over three years. He has repeatedly appealed to President Biden for help, including financial assistance and expedited work permits for migrants, but to no avail.

Families congregated in front of the Paul hotel on West 29th Street Monday — with some coming as far away as Russia and Venezuela.

A National Guardsman patrolling the site moved some children’s bikes off the sidewalk, which was also scattered with toys.

“We came here to avoid mobilization for the war,” said Leila Usmanov, who fled Russia with her husband Ruslan Usmanov and their three children, ages 16, 10 and 3. “We didn’t want to fight against our own. Ukrainians and Russians are the same people.”Leila said the family was “grateful to the US government” but complained the food the city was providing at the swanky hotel-turned-shelter was less than nutritious.

“My husband and I have high blood sugar, and the food isn’t very good for us. Our kids don’t want to eat it,” she said.

Ruslan added, “Come here in the evening and you will see a giant pile of wasted food they’re throwing out. Ninety percent of the food here isn’t eaten.” —>READ MORE HERE

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