FEMA staff reallocated to ICE during hurricane season under Trump administration direction
The Trump administration's decision to transfer Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staff to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has raised concerns about the impact on disaster response and staffing levels at FEMA.
According to reports, more than 100 employees from FEMA's human resources department and security team have been reassigned to ICE, with notices being sent out by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). These transfers are not on a voluntary basis, as stated by Deanne Criswell, former FEMA head during President Joe Biden's administration.
The move comes as President Donald Trump seeks to expand immigration enforcement, a key aspect of his administration's agenda. However, the timing of these transfers could potentially worsen staffing shortages at FEMA during the U.S. hurricane season, as thousands of staffers, including senior officials, have resigned, accepted incentives to leave, or been fired.
FEMA's human resources and security staff are critical to contracting with and vetting local companies and people to respond to a disaster. The loss of these employees could significantly impact FEMA's ability to prepare for and respond to hurricanes, especially affecting vulnerable communities.
Deanne Criswell expressed concern that the reassignments might not be voluntary and that many affected staff might decline, worsening staffing shortages ahead of the Atlantic hurricane season's peak next month. She also stated her concern about whether FEMA would be able to get back staff they have lost due to shortages, if the staff are reassigned.
The transfer of FEMA staff to ICE during the peak hurricane season has been widely criticized as reckless. It depletes FEMA's capacity during a critical time for hurricane preparedness and response. This decision was made as part of DHS's "all-hands-on-deck" strategy to recruit 10,000 new ICE agents, as stated by a department spokesperson.
The spending package passed by Congress in July provides a funding increase for ICE to hire 10,000 new officers over five years. To meet this goal, ICE is trying to bring back retired personnel and lure officers from other law enforcement agencies. Select FEMA employees will be temporarily detailed to ICE for 90 days to assist with hiring and vetting, but their deployment will not disrupt FEMA's critical operations, according to the same spokesperson.
However, the deployment of FEMA employees to ICE for 90 days could disrupt critical operations at FEMA, as previously mentioned by the spokesperson. This is a concern that has been echoed by former FEMA officials, who believe the timing of the transfers could leave FEMA understaffed during the U.S. hurricane season.
[1] Source: The Washington Post
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- The transfer of FEMA staff to ICE, as part of DHS's "all-hands-on-deck" strategy, raises questions about the impact on policy-and-legislation related to disaster response, given the critical role of FEMA's human resources and security staff in contracting with and vetting local companies and people during emergency situations.
- The critics of the decision to deploy FEMA staff to ICE during the peak hurricane season argue that it falls under crime-and-justice matters, as the move potentially compromises general-news issues such as national disaster preparedness and response, thereby affecting the welfare and safety of vulnerable communities.
