Trump Administration Accused of Diverting $10 Million From FEMA to ICE: ‘This is a Scandal’
As a powerful hurricane makes its way toward the Carolinas, one Senator is accusing President Donald Trump’s administration of taking money earmarked for FEMA and diverting it to ICE.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) posted a document to Twitter which shows that $9.75 million in funds designated for FEMA was transferred to ICE to help finance immigrant detention and deportation.
Unbelievable? Yes. Reprehensible? Yes. But it’s true. Look for yourself: pic.twitter.com/O0SxI9p5ho
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) September 12, 2018
“This is a scandal,” Merkley said in a statement provided to HuffPost. “At the start of hurricane season — when American citizens in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are still suffering from FEMA’s inadequate recovery efforts — the administration transferred millions of dollars away from FEMA. And for what? To implement their profoundly misguided ‘zero tolerance’ policy.”
Tyler Houlton, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, bashed Merkley’s claims as “a sorry attempt to push a false agenda.”
Under no circumstances was any disaster relief funding transferred from @fema to immigration enforcement efforts. This is a sorry attempt to push a false agenda at a time when the administration is focused on assisting millions on the East Coast facing a catastrophic disaster.
— Tyler Q. Houlton (@SpoxDHS) September 12, 2018
The money in question — transferred to ICE from FEMA’s routine operating expenses — could not have been used for hurricane response due to appropriation limitations. DHS/FEMA stand fiscally and operationally ready to support current and future response and recovery needs.
— Tyler Q. Houlton (@SpoxDHS) September 12, 2018
Merkley appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show Tuesday night to detail his claims. Watch above, via MSNBC.
[featured image via screengrab]
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