The Bobster
Senior News Editor since 2004
FEMA employees fired over ‘egregious’ $59M payment for NYC migrants
Four FEMA employees will be fired Tuesday for sending $59 million to New York City to house and care for illegal migrants, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
nypost.com
FEMA employees fired over ‘egregious’ $59M payment for NYC migrants
By
Patrick Reilly
Published Feb. 11, 2025, 8:59 a.m. ET
Four Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees have been fired for sending $59 million to New York City to house and care for illegal migrants, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“Effective immediately, FEMA is terminating the employment of four individuals for circumventing leadership to unilaterally make egregious payments for luxury NYC hotels for migrants,” DHS officials said in a statement obtained by The Post.
The firings, first reported by Fox, include FEMA’s Chief Financial Officer, two program analysts and a grant specialist.
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“Under President Trump and Secretary Noem’s leadership, DHS will not sit idly and allow deep state activists to undermine the will and safety of the American people,” the statement added.
The massive payment was blasted by Elon Musk, whose new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, highlighted the transaction on Monday.
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3 DHS officials announced the termination Tuesday. ALEXANDER DRAGO/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high-end hotels for illegals,” Musk posted on X on Monday — and promised DOGE would be making “a clawback demand … to recoup those funds.”
Cameron Hamilton, FEMA’s acting administrator, said in response that FEMA had suspended payments sent to New York City to house migrants beginning on Monday.
New York City Hall officials have said they have not been notified of any pause in funding and that no one has contacted them regarding Musk’s clawback demand.
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Officials also denied Musk’s assertions that the cash went to luxury hotels without specifically naming the billionaire.
Only $19 million of the $59 million that the Tesla CEO highlighted in his tweet will go toward housing migrants in hotels, officials said.
“We have already spent over $7 billion on this crisis alone, and the previous administration committed only $237 million in funding to help house the migrants in our care and for future services,” the City Hall statement reads.
3 Migrants queue to enter the shelter on Randall’s Island, April 9, 2024, in New York. AP
“We have continued to receive previously allocated reimbursements through the past week. We will discuss this matter directly with federal officials.”
Many of Musk’s claims couldn’t immediately be confirmed as neither he nor Hamilton revealed additional details about the money.
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His remarks were likely referring to payments made by FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program, which reimburses municipalities and organizations for migrant-related expenses.
3 Four FEMA employees are set to be fired for the payment. Getty Images
The money is authorized and funded by Congress and is separate from the disaster relief fund, which is FEMA’s main funding stream to help people and governments affected by disasters.
In 2024, the DHS — which oversees FEMA — directed Custo