Assigning FEMA staff to immigration enforcement hurt disaster work, House report says
Source: Washington Post
July 10, 2026 at 10:42 a.m. EDT
The Department of Homeland Security misused Federal Emergency Management Agency resources when it diverted dozens of staff to help with immigration enforcement, says a new report by a group of House Democrats shared first with The Washington Post.
The lawmakers describe the deployments as an example of how the Trump administration has hindered FEMA’s ability to properly prepare for and respond to disasters.
Beginning last summer, the Trump administration reassigned FEMA personnel to immigration enforcement roles that were largely outside the scope of emergency and disaster work for long stretches of time when the agency was grappling with extensive cuts and leadership changes, according to the report from Democrats on the House Transportation subcommittee on economic development, public buildings and emergency management. The probe was based on interviews with 15 current and former FEMA employees and disaster and immigration policy experts.
“Overall, the Administration’s sweeping immigration agenda has used FEMA resources and personnel to aid in carrying out large-scale immigration enforcement operations, distracting the agency from its statutorily required responsibilities, jeopardizing its workforce levels and expertise, and reducing its ability to respond to disasters and aid survivors,” the report said.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/07/10/assigning-fema-staff-immigration-enforcement-hurt-disaster-work-house-report-says/
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Link to REPORT (PDF) - https://democrats-transportation.house.gov/imo/media/doc/FEMA_%20RM%20Stanton%20Investigative_Report_FINAL.pdf
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