The Department of Homeland Security has begun reviewing organizations that provide temporary housing and assistance to migrants, amid concerns that they may have breached laws commonly used to prosecute those involved in smuggling. This step highlights potential misuse of federal grants allocated to manage the migration surge under the previous administration, according to an official from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Cameron Hamilton, the acting administrator of FEMA, expressed “significant concerns” regarding these grants, noting they may have funded illegal activities. In a letter obtained by a news agency, Hamilton requested detailed records from organizations receiving FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program funding. The request includes names and contact details for migrants served and descriptions of services provided. While the letter doesn’t explicitly threaten legal action, it implies potential violations of U.S. Criminal Code Section 1324, which criminalizes the illegal transportation and harboring of migrants. Organizations must also affirm that they have no knowledge of such law breaches.
Simultaneously, federal prosecutors have issued subpoenas to certain homeless shelters in New York City being used as migrant accommodations, some also funded by FEMA. The subpoenas, delivered to the Roosevelt Hotel and Stewart Hotel in Manhattan, seek personal information about the migrants. Another building previously used as a shelter for the homeless, which doesn’t typically house migrants, received a similar subpoena, though local officials suggest it might have been sent mistakenly. An office building near Times Square currently operating as a migrant shelter may have been intended as the recipient.
There was no immediate response from the U.S. attorney’s office or the Justice Department regarding the subpoenas, nor from FEMA when approached late Wednesday for a comment. This move appears as a broader scrutiny of agencies providing support like food, housing, and transport to migrants crossing the border. Such migrants frequently face exhaustion and financial difficulty, and without proper guidance, they struggle to navigate their journey.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has previously had immigration policy disagreements with the Biden administration, launched a similar investigation into migrant aid groups but was stopped by the courts. His administration had provided transportation for thousands of migrants from Texas to New York City, where law requires offering shelter to anyone in need.
New York City, following the closure of the Roosevelt Hotel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, repurposed it as a central hub for new arrivals. Last month, FEMA revoked over $80 million in grants given to the city during the Biden era, after questions arose about the legality of those payments. The city has since pursued legal action to reclaim these funds.
Mayor Eric Adams has announced plans to shut down the Roosevelt shelter by June. New York City is presently accommodating over 42,700 migrants across 180 sites, down from nearly 70,000 in January. The Adams administration has refrained from commenting on the subpoenas, citing the investigation’s ongoing nature.
FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program allocated $641 million to various state and local entities and organizations nationwide for the fiscal year 2024 to aid with managing large migratory influxes from Mexico. The beneficiaries include cities like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Denver, as well as organizations such as the United Way of Miami, the San Antonio Food Bank, and several branches of Catholic Charities. It’s uncertain if any governmental bodies were direct recipients of the recent letters, but the Trump administration has been vocal against jurisdictions that do not fully cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Recently, the administration initiated legal action against Chicago for alleged obstruction of federal law enforcement efforts.
