President Donald Trump’s administration is extracting $155 million from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund to pay for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency’s operational facilities, NBC News first reported Tuesday.
TPM obtained a letter sent from Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), the chairwoman of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, to the Department of Homeland Security that provided details of the administration’s new funding allocations.
According to the congresswoman, $155 million from the Disaster Relief Fund will be transferred to ICE for the agency to build immigration court hearing facilities at the southern border.
At the end of her letter, Roybal-Allard expressed her concern over the “growing disconnect” between the will of Congress and the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies, “which often lack justification.”
Amid the administration’s cut to the DRF, Trump complained on Tuesday about the hurricane approaching Puerto Rico — more specifically, how much the hurricane would cost the government.
“Yet another big storm heading to Puerto Rico. Will it ever end?” Trump tweeted. “Congress approved 92 Billion Dollars for Puerto Rico last year, an all time record of its kind for ‘anywhere.'”
Wow! Yet another big storm heading to Puerto Rico. Will it ever end? Congress approved 92 Billion Dollars for Puerto Rico last year, an all time record of its kind for “anywhere.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2019
The DHS will also give ICE $116 million from funds meant for Coast Guard operations and aviation security, according to NBC News.
Read Roybal-Allard’s letter below:
I’m relieved to know we won’t have any hurricanes this year or need to use the Coast Guard to secure the borders.
It’s not like the glaciers are melting or there’s no hurricanes in the horizons that Trump would just nuke…this is also MISAPPROPRIATION of Funds and Power Grab!
I am looking forward to having a president who on day one tells the DOJ to file suit, and open a criminal investigation against every single person in the Trump Administration who misappropriated funds under the Anti-deficency Act. They are personally responsible if they spend money without congressional authorization, and should be left bankrupt after the Feds are done with them. Take every single penny they have.
When will Trump erect bleachers in front of detention centers and blue states that have disasters so he and his follower’s can holiday in front of those who are suffering .
an all time record of its kind for “anywhere.”
The tone is weird. The quotation marks are creepy. Why the fuck is he so hostile to Puerto Rico?