Gastonia, N.C. (October 8, 2024) – Federal disaster relief efforts have faced scrutiny due to slow responses to locals who have lost homes and livelihoods in the Southeast and for the significant FEMA funding directed toward the support of illegal migrants.
A recent analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies outlines how FEMA became involved in funding programs for illegal migrants and the extent of their spending.
FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP)
The EFSP originally only provided aid to homeless Americans, including veterans and families. However, after more than 111,000 adult migrants with children and unaccompanied minors crossed the border illegally May 2019, President Trump requested additional funds to move migrant children out of Border Patrol custody. He ultimately received the money, but only in exchange for a $30 million expansion of EFSP for migrant aid. While Trump asked for the program to be ended in his FY 2020 and FY 2021 budget requests as duplicative of other federal efforts, the EFSP instead received increased funding.
American Rescue Plan (ARP)
After taking office, President Biden successfully advocated for the “American Rescue Plan” (ARP), which allocated $400 million for the original Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) and $110 million for humanitarian relief to families encountered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The temporary ESFP for migrants (called ESFP-H for “humanitarian”) from the 2019 supplemental was now a permanent line item.
The FY 2023 FEMA budget request included $130 million for regular EFSP and $154 million for the migrant version, reflecting a significant increase in services to migrants, which have quadrupled since 2019. This surge in services is largely due to the Biden-Harris administration's decision to release over 5.6 million migrants into the U.S. instead of detaining them, as required by law.
ESFP Morphs into FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program (SSP) and Swells
Critics have highlighted FEMA's spending on migrants through programs like the FEMA Shelter and Services Program (SSP), the successor to EFSP-H. In fiscal year 2023, FEMA allocated $363.8 million to SSP for migrant care, a stark contrast to what many perceive as an inadequate response to the needs of U.S. citizens impacted by disasters like Tropical Storm Helene.
In FY 2024, Arizona alone received $19 million in SSP, Los Angeles got more than $21 million, and El Paso hauled in $16.69 million under the migrant-aid program.
Migrants vs. Disaster Relief
As FEMA’s disaster relief fund dwindles, the need for FEMA and the federal government to prioritize timely and adequate support for American communities facing natural disasters has become evident. Importantly, Title V of the FY 2024 appropriations bill for DHS provides the DHS secretary with significant authority to move (or “reprogram”) money from one FEMA account — like SSP — to another, like DRF. In fact, the secretary could reprogram any DHS appropriations for this purpose.
