US Representative Jake Auchincloss sent a letter to Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune on Thursday, urging members to accept more than $13 million in federal antiterrorism funding he described as crucial “considering heightened threats of terrorism fueled by antisemitism and anti-Zionism.”
The City Council voted 6 to 6 to reject the grant in December, blocking funding meant for the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region, which comprises Boston and eight neighboring municipalities, including Brookline, which is part of Auchincloss’ district.
A spokesperson for Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s office said Friday that the mayor will refile the grant for the council’s approval before the body’s first full meeting of the year, set for the end of the month.
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In the letter sent Thursday evening, Auchincloss, who is Jewish and a Democrat, urged the council to approve the funding when it is brought back in front of the body.
“The Israel-Hamas War has heightened our region’s need for counter-terrorism security measures,” Auchincloss wrote. “Greater Boston is a national hub for the Jewish community. As antisemitism proliferates, counter-terrorism funding is more pertinent than ever. Impeding its disbursement could undermine the trust of Greater Boston’s Jewish community.”
The US Department of Homeland Security grants the funds annually to the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region, which includes Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, and Winthrop.
The grant has been in existence for more than 20 years, and was originally formed in response to the Sept. 11 attacks so local, state, and federal government agencies could more efficiently collaborate and share information, according to Shumeane Benford, Boston’s chief of emergency management. Boston was established as the administrator and fiduciary for the region, and is responsible for approving and then distributing the funds.
Last year, Brookline used the funds for “personnel training, technology upgrades, new public safety vehicles, and community preparedness measures,” Auchincloss stated in the letter, adding that the grant is designated for cities with a high risk of terrorism activity, and has historically been approved unanimously by the council.
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At the Dec. 13 City Council meeting, Councilor Michael Flaherty introduced the grant by stating its importance to Boston specifically, considering the city’s past history of external threats.
“It’s not lost on us that September 11 was launched at Logan, and that we had the Marathon bombing,” Flaherty said. “There have been a number of incidents we have been dealing with as a city.”
However, six councilors voted against accepting the grant over concerns about the police intelligence-gathering operation known as the Boston Regional Intelligence Center, or BRIC, which would receive at least part of the funds.
The council approved other controversial BRIC grants last year, despite opposition from some councilors over the center’s gang database and concerns about racial profiling.
Louijeune, who is currently council president, said in the December meeting she would be voting no because “we need more community conversation” before the grant could be accepted. Louijeune was not immediately available for comment on Friday.
Auchincloss slammed the council for the December vote in Thursday’s letter, saying the $13.3 million in funding is urgently needed. He cited recent congressional testimony by FBI director Christopher Wray, who said he sees “blinking lights” — terror threats — “everywhere,” and is “especially concerned about the possibility of Hamas supporters engaging in violence on the group’s behalf.”
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Auchincloss also expressed concern over preliminary data collected by the Anti-Defamation League, which indicate that reports of antisemitic incidents have “skyrocketed” since Oct. 7.
In an interview with the Globe, Benford said he is optimistic the council will ultimately approve the funds, under the mayor’s leadership. All the mayor’s endorsed candidates won their races in the November election, significantly shifting the makeup of the council. Benford was confident in the meantime that there will be no impact on safety or security in the region as a result of the delay. Last year, the council did not approve the grant until the end of January.
“If there was an unlikely scenario where these funds would not be accepted, period, then we would have issues and concerns,” said Benford. “This is really about sustaining the capacity of working long term, but in the short term, there can be no question that we have full capacity to be able to respond to threats based on capacity that we built up.”
Globe correspondent Alexa Coultoff contributed to this report.
Niki Griswold can be reached at niki.griswold@globe.com. Follow her @nikigriswold.