The acting head of the federal agency responsible for responding to disasters said Monday that he’s suspending payments sent to New York City to house migrants and that staff who made them will be held accountable, after Elon Musk blasted the transactions on his social media platform. Musk, who as head of the Department of Government Efficiency has consolidated control over much of the federal government and is working to cut costs and shrink the workforce, posted on X that his team “just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants.” He said the money is intended for disaster relief and would be clawed back. Cameron Hamilton, acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, reposted Musk’s comments and said the payments were suspended as of Sunday.
Elon Musk on Monday claimed that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) uncovered that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) allegedly paid New York City $59 million last week to house illegal migrants in luxury hotels. New York City experienced one of the biggest increases in illegal immigration during the Biden administration, receiving over 210,000 illegal migrants as of October. The city's Democratic Mayor Eric Adams has vowed to work with the new Trump administration on illegal immigration. Musk accused FEMA of breaking the law by supplying the funds to house illegal migrants, when the agency's main purpose is to help Americans deal with natural disasters.
The details around the alleged payout are not completely clear. FEMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation, nor did a spokesperson for DOGE. Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in October denied the Biden administration was using FEMA funds for migrant accommodations, but in 2022 she suggested that the agency was assisting cities with the migrant crisis. On his first day back in office, Trump signed an executive order that placed a temporary suspension on refugee resettlement into the United States. The president additionally noted how some major cities, like New York City and Chicago, have requested federal aid to help manage the massive influx of migrants entering their jurisdictions.
