■When 16 migrants seeking asylum came to Fresno, councilmember Miguel Arias arranged for their lodging and meals.

■Using city credit cards for the migrants’ expenses appears to violate city rules.

■Arias may have to pay for the expenses out of his pocket.

When 16 Venezuelan migrants arrived in Fresno in early February, city councilmember Miguel Arias arranged for their lodging and meals.

“Councilmember Arias made arrangements, for these folks to stay at the La Quinta Hotel. And, that is where they are at,” Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said at a Feb. 2 news conference.

Arias used his city-issued credit card to not only pay for the hotel rooms but to also purchase meals at a downtown restaurant, city officials told GV Wire. It isn’t known how much he paid.

Now it appears that Arias could be on the hook for the expenses.

“To my knowledge, Councilmember Arias has not submitted any items for reimbursement. When his credit card statement is processed he will be asked to provide receipts and documentation to justify the expenses consistent with our Administrative Orders.  If he does not provide documentation that is in compliance with the AO, then he will be asked to reimburse the City. This is the standard process,” City Manager Georgeanne White said.

Arias did not respond to a GV Wire request for comment before publication of this story.

However, he did respond in a post on X.

Not true, every day our federal, state, county, and city governments & CBO partners provide housing, food, and services to homeless residents with public funds. Discriminating against specific homeless residents would be a violation of law. #FactsMatterhttps://t.co/N7ZLSvFrLh

— Miguel Arias (@MiguelArias_D3) February 24, 2024

The migrants arrived in Fresno in late January and early February. The group crossed the Mexican border into El Paso, Texas, requesting asylum. After the migrants were bused by Texas officials to Denver, public officials there paid for bus tickets for those requesting to go to California.

The migrants planned to head to Indio in Riverside County, but they wound up in Fresno instead. Several social service groups have helped provide housing and services to ease their transition.

City Rules Would Prevent Reimbursement

City officials referred GV Wire to two administrative orders dealing with credit cards and expenses.

Administrative Order 1-9 says that “city credit cards may be used only by those authorized and only for the purchase of goods or services for the official business of the City of Fresno.”

A city official told GV Wire that lodging and meals for the migrants would not qualify as official business. The city manager is allowed to make approvals but did not do so in this case.

Administrative Order 1-4 states that “city employees and elected officials will be reimbursed for travel, conference, and subsistence expenses incurred in connection with City business.”