White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre falsely claimed during a press briefing that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds have not been used to house illegal aliens after administration officials said that the agency lacked adequate funds for the remainder of the hurricane season.
When asked if FEMA funding is being used to house illegal immigrants, Jean-Pierre denied it, calling the claim “categorically false” and “a false statement.” But FEMA openly states that its funding has been used to house illegal immigrants who have entered the United States under the Biden-Harris administration.
While FEMA has diverted funds to house illegal aliens who have entered the United States under the Biden-Harris administration, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that FEMA doesn’t have enough funding to sustain operations through hurricane season. The comment came in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which killed over 160 people.
FEMA, which says that its mission is “helping people before, during, and after disasters,” explained in 2023 that it was preparing to spend over $360 million in taxpayer dollars in fiscal year 2023 alone to house illegal immigrants through its “Shelter and Services Program.” That figure increased to $650 million in fiscal year 2024.
The program seeks to “provide funding to non-federal entities that serve noncitizen migrants recently released from DHS custody to temporarily provide shelter, food, transportation, acute medical care, personal hygiene supplies, and labor necessary to manage cases,” as well as to “provide funding to non-federal entities to increase their capacity to temporarily shelter noncitizens recently released from DHS custody.”
A report to Congress detailing the program explained that the funds could be allocated to “hotel/motel service provided for 45 days per individual or family” and “transportation from DHS release to shelter and services provider location,” including airfare.
The agency argued that the use of its funds to support illegal immigrants is required because “the present-day irregular migration of noncitizens is unprecedented,” leaving states and localities unable to handle the surge.