Mayorkas Bemoans Lack Of FEMA Cash For Hurricanes After Spending Nearly $1 Billion On Migrant Crisis

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) allocated over $1 billion for a migrant assistance program over the past two fiscal years, but now it is running out of cash for disaster relief as Hurricane Helene rages on and more storms loom.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Wednesday that FEMA does not have enough funds to make it through hurricane season, The Associated Press reported. Though resources are running short for Americans displaced by Helene, the agency spent big on a program providing “humanitarian services to noncitizen migrants” after their release from Department of Homeland Security custody.

FEMA disbursed the funds as part of its Shelter and Services Program, sending money to help cities, counties and states grapple with the migrant crisis, records show. Shelter, food, transportation, acute medical care and personal hygiene supplies are among the goods and services provided to migrants using FEMA’s funds.

Congress and the Biden-Harris administration apportioned funding to FEMA specifically for the Shelter and Services Program, according to federal documents.

“Let’s go and point out the obvious which is that FEMA had utilized a large majority of the personnel who should be here taking care of this to be replaced or repurposed for immigration resettlement when we need to be focusing on Americans whether it be in Maui, Palestine, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, or Tennessee,” Republican Florida Rep. Cory Mills