DOJ FY 2026 Bridging Immigration-Related Deficits Experienced Nationwide (“BIDEN”) Program Round 2 | O BJA 2026 172656

DOJ FY 2026 BIDEN Program Round 2 (BJA) - FAQs

1) What is the DOJ FY 2026 Bridging Immigration-Related Deficits Experienced Nationwide (BIDEN) Program Round 2?

It is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), under CFDA 16.076. The program is funded through the BIDEN Reimbursement Fund created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21) and codified at 34 U.S.C. 61101. The stated intent is to reimburse and strengthen state, local, and tribal criminal justice capacities that DOJ describes as strained by immigration-related enforcement and prosecution demands.

2) Which agency is offering this grant?

The grant is offered by DOJ, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).

3) What does CFDA 16.076 mean for this opportunity?

CFDA 16.076 is the program identifier associated with this DOJ/BJA funding opportunity. It is used to track the program and related awards in federal systems.

4) What law authorizes the program and what is the statutory citation?

The program is funded through the BIDEN Reimbursement Fund created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21) and is codified at 34 U.S.C. 61101.

5) What is the overall purpose of the program?

The program is designed to reimburse and strengthen criminal justice capabilities connected to identifying, arresting, processing, prosecuting, detaining, and transporting noncitizens who have committed crimes and are also unlawfully present in the United States (the NOFO uses the term "criminal illegal aliens"). It also emphasizes support for jurisdictions participating in Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) activities and other DOJ initiatives focused on gangs, cartels, and violent crime.

6) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include a broad range of government entities, including state governments and state agencies, counties, cities and townships, special district governments, and federally recognized tribal governments. The NOFO also lists Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments) and other eligible entities, suggesting there may be flexibility depending on how BJA defines eligibility in the full solicitation.

7) How does this opportunity define "state"?

For this opportunity, "state" includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

8) What is considered a unit of local government for eligibility purposes?

Units of local government include general-purpose political subdivisions such as towns, boroughs, parishes, and villages.

9) When was the opportunity posted and what is the application deadline?

The posting date is July 28, 2026, and the application closing date is August 26, 2026.

10) Is there an award maximum (ceiling)?

The award ceiling is listed as 0 in the source data. This typically indicates the ceiling is not specified in the summary record, and applicants generally need to consult the full NOFO for any limits, formulas, or allocation methods.

11) What are the allowable purpose areas under 34 U.S.C. 61101?

Program funds are tied to seven statutory purpose areas:

1. Locating and apprehending noncitizens who have committed crimes and are unlawfully present in the United States.
2. Collecting and analyzing investigative information inside the U.S. to counter gangs or other criminal activity.
3. Investigating and prosecuting crimes committed by aliens in the U.S., as well as drug and human trafficking crimes committed within the U.S.
4. Court operations connected to those prosecutions.
5. Temporary criminal detention of aliens.
6. Transportation within the U.S. to support apprehension, detention, and prosecution.
7. Vehicle maintenance, logistics, transportation, and other law-enforcement support provided by a state agency to improve the ability to locate and apprehend criminal offenders who are unlawfully present.

12) Does the program allow reimbursement for prior activities, or only new work?

A notable feature of Round 2 is that awards may support expenditures for completed, ongoing, or new activities occurring on or after January 20, 2021. This creates an eligibility window that can allow reimbursement for prior qualifying efforts as well as support for current and future work, as long as the work fits the statutory purposes and grant rules.

13) What are the main funding categories in Round 2?

Funding is organized into three categories:

• Category 1: Hiring
• Category 2: Technology and Equipment
• Category 3: Construction of Temporary Detention Facilities for Criminal Illegal Aliens

14) What does Category 1 (Hiring) support?

Category 1 supports staffing across law enforcement and the broader criminal justice workflow. It can support hiring new full-time sworn officers/deputies and full-time civilian/non-sworn personnel, including filling vacancies that are no longer funded in the agency budget. It also supports a range of non-law-enforcement roles needed across the continuum, including forensic, investigative, analytical, prosecution and legal support, corrections, detention and custodial roles, transportation, security, and operations/logistics.

15) Can Category 1 funds be used to rehire staff previously laid off?

Yes. The NOFO allows rehiring personnel laid off due to state, local, or Bureau of Indian Affairs budget reductions, with the condition that rehiring must occur on or after the official award start date.

16) Can Category 1 funds be used to prevent planned layoffs?

Yes, with a specific condition. If personnel are scheduled to be laid off on a specific future date due to budget reductions, the recipient must continue paying those positions with local funds until the scheduled layoff date(s). After that point, grant funds may support those positions.

17) How long can salary support last under Category 1?

Salary support is available for up to three years for eligible positions, but within a five-year period of performance to account for recruitment and hiring timelines.

18) Are there any explicit hiring restrictions mentioned?

Yes. The NOFO states that Category 1 funds may not be used for co-responders, interpreters, or translators.

19) What does Category 2 (Technology and Equipment) cover?

Category 2 allows applicants to purchase equipment and advanced technology and to cover multi-year implementation costs, subscriptions, training, and maintenance. The intent is to close resource gaps and increase operational capacity for eligible purposes such as investigations, prosecutions, court operations, detention, and transport.

20) Are there special requirements for certain equipment purchases?

Yes. The NOFO notes that if funding is sought and awarded for unmanned aerial systems (UAS), body-worn cameras, body armor, and/or NIBIN machines, recipients must provide equipment-specific certifications and documentation as a condition of the award. This indicates additional compliance steps and oversight for those items.

21) What does Category 3 (Construction of Temporary Detention Facilities) support?

Category 3 supports physical infrastructure for temporary detention connected to the program purposes. This includes major construction projects such as building temporary detention facilities for individuals awaiting prosecution, immigration proceedings, or transfer to federal custody. It also includes substantial renovation, expansion, or modernization of existing facilities, such as adding housing units or renovating to meet current detention standards in ways that materially increase capacity and functionality.

22) What types of activities should applicants connect their proposal to in order to be competitive?

Based on the NOFO description, a competitive application would typically align proposed hiring, technology/equipment, and/or detention infrastructure investments to one or more of the seven statutory purpose areas. It would also document how the work supports participation in HSTF activities or related DOJ priorities focused on gangs, cartels, and violent crime, and clearly link requested funds to measurable operational gaps (for example, staffing shortages, equipment and technology needs, throughput constraints, detention capacity limitations, or transportation/logistics shortfalls).

23) Does the opportunity emphasize any particular DOJ initiative or partnership?

Yes. A major emphasis is supporting jurisdictions that are actively participating in Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) activities and other DOJ initiatives focused on gangs, cartels, and violent crime.

24) What kinds of criminal justice functions does the program target across the "end-to-end" workflow?

The program targets the chain of activities associated with locating, apprehending, investigating, prosecuting, supporting court operations, temporarily detaining, and transporting individuals covered by the statutory language. The funding categories reinforce this by supporting personnel, technology/equipment, and detention infrastructure tied to those steps.

25) If the award ceiling is not specified in the summary, where should applicants look?

The summary record lists the ceiling as 0, which usually means it is not specified there. Applicants would generally need to consult the full NOFO for details on any limits, formulas, or allocation methods.