$25,000 grant for desert water stations OK’d by Pima supervisors
by Garry Duffy on Oct. 08, 2008, under Local, SpecialGrant to borders group rapped as illegalraised
Pima County has approved a grant of $25,000 to help a humanitarian group maintain emergency water stations in the Sonoran Desert outside Tucson.
The county Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Tuesday to fund Humane Borders’ 90-plus water stations throughout the desert.
The supervisors first funded the water stations in 2001.
Opponents of the grant have criticized the county’s annual funding for the water stations as a violation of laws against aiding and abetting illegal immigration.
“Is this not breaking our laws, especially federal law?” asked Wes Bramhall, a past president of Arizonans for Immigration Control.
Joe Sweeney, the Republican opponent of Congressional District 7 incumbent Rep. Raúl Grijalva, a Democrat, also criticized the board’s vote.
“Is this not aiding and abetting and harboring illegal aliens?” Sweeney said.
None of the supervisors responded.
Supervisor Ann Day voted against the funding without comment. In the past, Day has cited her concern that the program gives illegal crossers a false sense of security.
Other business
The supervisors approved increases leagues and tournaments must pay to play at the county’s Sports Park in Marana.
• Softball leagues: From $400 per team to $475 per team.
• Volleyball leagues: From $95 per team to $150 per team.
• Youth baseball leagues: From 12 to 15 players per team, age 14 and under: $70 for each player; 13 and under: $65; 12 and under: $60; 11 and younger: $55; 10 and under: $50. Fee also changed to $1,025 per team regardless of the number of players.
• One-day tournaments: From $28 per team with no park entry fee for spectators to $28 per team with $3 spectator entry fee.
• Two- and three-day tournaments from $36 per team with no spectator entry fee to $36 per team with $3 spectator fee.
