Pima County supervisors reject federal Operation Stonegarden grant 3-2

After much debate, the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on Tuesday to reject Operation Stonegarden grant funding.

Democratic Supervisors Richard Elias and Ramón Valadez were joined by Sharon Bronson in voting to reject the controversial federal grant, which would have provided more than $1.8 million in federal funds to the sheriff’s department for expenses related to border security in Pima County.

The county has accepted Stonegarden funding for the last 12 years.

Before the vote, Sheriff Mark Napier urged the board to reconsider accepting the fiscal year 2018 grant, which was accepted last year, explaining the overtime funded by the money was essential to the department’s ability to address public safety, including drug and human trafficking.

“I see the acceptance of this grant as a bridge to get us to the point where we could separate ourselves from dependency on these federal funds,” Napier said. “There are collateral costs associated with our acceptance of this grant, I recognize that. Our plan does a lot to ameliorate some of those fiscal concerns in a responsible way that still allows me the public safety tools I need to address these transnational crimes.”

The call to the audience portion of the meeting was also jampacked with statements on the Stonegarden issue by community members, most calling for the board to reject the funding now and in the future.

“We have research showing that increased policing and increased funding for policing negatively impacts our entire community, including non-immigrant families, because we are being profiled, whether it’s not speaking English proficiently, having an accent, being brown, being in the working class. … I urge you to vote no,” said Anna Ochoa O’Leary, an assistant professor in the Department of Mexican American Studies at the University of Arizona.

Bronson, who represents District 3, said that while she agreed the need for “lifesaving aid” and enforcement was needed in Pima County, she would not accept the grant without conditions, saying the program has not “adapted to today’s border conditions.”

Many of the immigrants who died attempting to cross the desert in Southern Arizona between 2010 and 2019 were found in District 3, according to Bronson.

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“It should be obvious that a grant program that started nearly 15 years ago has not changed, is outdated and requires federal policy revision. It’s time to overhaul this grant,” she said.

The decision to reject funding comes several months after the county’s request for humanitarian aid was denied by federal officials. After voting to accept the Stonegarden grant last year, supervisors also submitted a funding modification that included $200,000 for humanitarian aid, which would be used to offset costs incurred from the Casa Alitas migrant shelter. Federal officials denied the modification, stating the requested funding provided “no border security operational benefit.”

During Tuesday’s meeting, Bronson also urged the board to demand answers from the Department of Homeland Security, saying it provided a “flimsy excuse for denial” of humanitarian aid through the grant.

“I’ve been very clear in my vocal support that the federal government needs to provide Pima County with humanitarian aid to deal with the humanitarian crisis that has been created by immigration policies,” said Napier.

Following the denial for humanitarian aid by federal officials, the Tucson Police Department notified the federal government it would withdraw from participation in the Stonegarden grant program, saying it does not align with TPD’s mission “and the expectation of the community we serve.”

Supervisor Steve Christy called the rejection of the federal grant a “travesty of public safety.”

“We’ve tried to massage these grant requests with all sorts of different variables,” he said. “This is money coming from agencies designed to protect our border and to secure our people’s safety along the border.”

While the decision over fiscal year 2018 funding has been settled, this won’t be the last time the board will see Stonegarden on its agenda. According to County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry, the board will have to vote later this year on whether to accept Stonegarden funding for the fiscal year 2019 grant cycle.