Dangerous Misinformation
FEMA disaster relief funding was NOT diverted to the border
In the days since Hurricane Helene left devastation in its path, rumors have been circulating widely that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster relief funds had been used to assist migrants at the southern U.S. border. These rumors came in response to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ statement that FEMA does not have enough money to last through hurricane season. Several Republican politicians then began spreading misinformation that FEMA is running out of money because billions of dollars were diverted to the border to assist migrants entering the country illegally.
However, the Biden administration quickly responded with a memo stating that such claims are false and spreading the misinformation is “dangerous”. FEMA also pushed back against the rumors by creating a Hurricane Rumor Response fact check on their website. On this page they specifically addressed the rumor regarding the diverting of funds stating, “[t]his is false. No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts. Disaster Relief Fund money has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts.
To learn more about FEMA and how it is funded, check out this blog post by Sharon McMahon. If you are looking for reliable news sources, this chart created by Ad Fontes is an excellent resource.
President Biden will not extend sponsorship program for migrants from 4 countries
DHS announced that it will not continue the private sponsorship program the Biden administration launched in 2022 for Venezuelans in order to reduce the number of Venezuelans arriving at the U.S. border. It extended the program in January 2023 to Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans. The CHNV program, as it has been called, has allowed approximately 530,000 migrants who have been sponsored by U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents to fly into the U.S. They were given permission to live and work in the U.S. for under a temporary 2-year parole period.
DHS will be notifying these individuals and encouraging them to apply for other immigration benefits. “This two-year period was intended to enable individuals to seek humanitarian relief or other immigration benefits for which they may be eligible, and to work and contribute to the United States,” DHS spokesperson Naree Ketudat said.
Written by Jenifer Wellman, our Advocacy Director at We Choose Welcome.
