The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has responded to “false” claims that money spent on illegal migrants should be used to fund disaster relief after Hurricane Helene.
This week, Republicans, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Donald Trump Jr., took issue with the $640 million in FEMA funding allocated to help migrants after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said FEMA “meets immediate needs with the money we have. , ” while adding that the agency does not have enough funds to deal with another hurricane this season.
“This is easy,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Mayorkas and FEMA – immediately stop spending money on illegal immigration resettlement and redirect those funds to hurricane affected areas. Put Americans first.”
Donald Trump Jr., the son of Republican nominee Donald Trump, posted: “So FEMA is almost out of money for Federal Emergency aid (you know FE in FEMA) because they spent almost $1,000,000,000 helping illegal immigrants in the last two years.”
The government agency has set up a page to address the widespread rumors about its response to Hurricane Helene, which hit many East Coast countries in late September, killing at least 120 people.
Addressing the claim that FEMA does not have enough money to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the page reads: “FEMA has enough money now to respond to immediate recovery needs. If you have been affected by Helene, please do not hesitate to apply for disaster assistance. -a variety of help available for a variety of needs.”
Congress recently allocated $20 billion to the agency’s disaster relief fund as part of a short-term government bill to fund the government through December 20.
Sean Rayford/Getty
In response to rumors that FEMA’s disaster response funding has been “diverted to support international efforts or border-related issues,” the government agency said on a special fact-check page: “This is false. No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. ..FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance are funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is dedicated to disaster efforts and not diverted to other unrelated efforts.
Some X users, including Texas Representative Dan Crenshaw, accused FEMA of diverting funds for disaster relief to the Shelter and Services Program, which provides money for migrant services.
“Maybe, just maybe, the Biden-Harris Administration should stop diverting FEMA funds – to help AMERICA during disaster recovery – to facilitate illegal migrants entering the country,” Crenshaw posted on X.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told Newsweek: “These claims are completely false. As Secretary Mayorkas said, FEMA has the necessary resources to meet immediate needs related to Hurricane Helene and other disasters.”
“The Shelter and Services Program (SSP) is a separately administered grant program authorized and funded by Congress and is unrelated to FEMA’s authority or funding stream.”
Newsweek Crenshaw has been reached by email for comment outside of normal business hours.
SSP provides funding to nonfederal agencies to provide humanitarian services to non-US citizens. For fiscal year 2024, which ends Monday, $640 million is available. This is a significant increase from fiscal year 2023, when $363 million was allocated. In all, more than $1 billion has been spent on non-citizen services in the past two years.
FEMA also addressed rumors that it is asking for cash donations from members of the public and has turned away volunteers and confiscated donations for post-disaster efforts.
“FEMA does not solicit or generally accept cash or volunteer donations in response to disasters,” the agency clarified, saying that anyone who approaches someone claiming to represent FEMA and asking for donations may be a scammer.
He said that rumors about “refusing donations, stopping trucks or vehicles with donations, confiscating and confiscating supplies often spread after a disaster” were all false.
“FEMA does not accept donations and/or food from survivors or voluntary organizations,” the agency said. “Donations of food, water, or other items are handled by voluntary agencies that specialize in storing, sorting, cleaning, and distributing donated items.”
