Trump takes money from FEMA for immigration

The Trump administration took nearly US$10 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s budget this summer to help boost US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to budget documents shared with

USA Today.

The revelation, just ahead of Hurricane Florence’s expected landfall in North and South Carolina, was found by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.

He told USA Today that after the devastation of last year’s storms, including hurricanes Maria, Harvey and Irma, FEMA should have the funds it needs to be prepared for another disastrous hurricane season.

‘‘It’s almost guaranteed to happen again, so this is just incredibly irresponsible,’’ Merkley said.

Money was also taken from other agencies, including millions from the Transportation Security Administration and the US Coast Guard, to help ICE, the document states.

The document lists the additional money was taken to help ICE detain immigrants along the southern border, fund beds in detention centers and remove undocumented immigrants from the country.

‘‘ICE must have sufficient detention bed capacity to detain illegal aliens when necessary as it enforces the Nation’s immigration laws as fairly and effectively as possible,’’ the budget document states.

‘‘Ensuring adequate funding for the detention beds requires projecting an Average Daily Population (ADP) for adult detainees as well as the daily costs incurred in keeping a detainee in custody.’’

The nearly $10 million was taken from various places within FEMA, including training, preparedness and protection, and response and recovery operations.

Tylet Houlton, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees both agencies, dismissed criticism of the document as a ‘‘sorry attempt to push a false agenda’’ and said none of the money transferred came from disaster relief funding.