Border Bill Authorizes $25M Annually for Local Police, But Only if They Aren't 'Sanctuary Cities'

The Reimbursing Border Communities Act of 2025 sets up a new grant program managed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to help local governments near the U.S.-Mexico border cover security costs. Starting in fiscal year 2026 and running through 2036, Congress has authorized $25 million annually for this program (SEC. 2).

The Security Paycheck: Who Gets the Check?

This money is designed to reimburse local jurisdictions for security-related expenses, like paying overtime wages for local police officers who are assisting with border security efforts. For a qualifying community, the maximum grant award is capped at $500,000 per fiscal year (SEC. 2). This funding is clearly aimed at easing the financial strain on local budgets that often bear the brunt of increased law enforcement activity related to border management.

The Catch: No Funds for 'Sanctuary Jurisdictions'

Here’s the biggest policy lever in the bill: eligibility is strictly conditional. To receive any of this funding, the local government must be located within 200 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border and must not be classified as a “sanctuary jurisdiction” (SEC. 2). The bill defines a sanctuary jurisdiction as one that limits cooperation with DHS detainer requests or has policies that violate specific federal immigration laws, such as Section 642 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.

Think of it this way: the federal government is offering a half-million-dollar reimbursement, but only if local policy aligns perfectly with federal immigration enforcement priorities. For a city council or county commission, this creates a direct financial incentive to drop any local policies that might be seen as limiting cooperation with federal immigration agents. If a community currently has a policy of non-cooperation, they have to choose between keeping that policy and getting up to $500,000 a year for their police budget.

What the Money Cannot Buy

While the grant helps pay for police overtime, the bill is very specific about what the funds cannot be used for, and this has a significant real-world impact on non-citizens residing in these communities. The grant money cannot be used to reimburse nonprofit groups, pay for legal representation, or provide basic needs like housing, food, healthcare, or educational resources to any non-citizen (SEC. 2).

This means that if a community receives the grant, they can’t use a single dollar to help with the humanitarian side of border issues—no funding for local shelters or clinics that are overwhelmed. This restriction could place increased pressure on local social services and charities that are already stretched thin, especially if they are seeing an influx of people needing basic support. The money is purely for security and enforcement, not for social support services.

Accountability and the Long View

The bill does include strong reporting requirements, which is a good thing for accountability. The Secretary of Homeland Security must report annually to Congress through 2035 on how the grants were used and how the program is being run (SEC. 2). This means we should get yearly data on exactly which communities are getting the money and what security costs they are offsetting. This transparency is crucial for tracking whether the $25 million annual authorization is actually making a difference in border communities or simply being used as a political tool to influence local immigration policies.