House Report Reveals Details on DHS Utilizing FEMA Resources for Immigration Policy

House Democrats released a 34-page report July 10 alleging that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, lost workers and funding after the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, redirected resources toward immigration enforcement.

The report, titled "Assigning FEMA Staff to Immigration Enforcement Hurt Disaster Work," says approximately 5,000 employees, or roughly 30% of the agency's workforce, left or moved elsewhere since January 2025. Budget cuts and reassignments to immigration duties drove the decline, the investigators said.

The report also alleges that more than $600 million moved from disaster programs into migrant detention centers and deportation infrastructure. Staff became what investigators called the "operational backbone" for immigration agencies, handling ICE hiring, detention-center logistics and administrative work tied to mass deportations.

The findings came as the 2026 hurricane and wildfire season approached. The investigation connects the staffing losses to the July 2025 Texas floods, which killed 120 people.

Greg Stanton, a Democrat from Arizona and a ranking member, and Rick Larsen, a Democrat from Washington and another ranking member, led the investigation. They argue that the reassignments violated the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, known as PKEMRA.

That law bars the DHS secretary from taking resources in a way that reduces the agency's ability to perform its core emergency-management mission, the report says. Witnesses told investigators that disaster professionals and human-resources staff were occupied with immigration assignments during the Texas response.

Investigators tied staffing losses to emergency-response duties

Whistleblowers told the investigators that employees faced termination threats if they refused assignments to ICE or CBP. The report says those workers were moved into tasks that included vetting and onboarding new immigration officers, coordinating detention logistics and supporting deportation operations.

The investigation describes the effect on disaster survivors in direct terms. It says the administration's agenda is "leaving disaster-stricken communities out to dry" by reducing the agency's ability to respond to extreme weather.

The report also points to the expanding detention system. It cites Guantánamo Bay as a detention site and says cells were installed in buildings that also contain sensitive locations, including daycares.

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure scheduled a hearing titled "Reforming FEMA" for July 13, 2026. The hearing places the report's staffing and resource allegations before lawmakers as the agency prepares for potential disasters.

The department defended its readiness while changing grant rules

A department spokesperson identified as Bis rejected the suggestion that staffing changes had left the agencies unprepared. The spokesperson said the agencies were preparing for hurricanes and national events while building a smaller, faster workforce.

“DHS and FEMA are ready for the 2026 hurricane season. We're ensuring workforce stability and a strong, deployable force for upcoming national events and potential disasters; making the agency leaner, faster and laser-focused on supporting state, local, tribal and territorial partners before, during and after disasters.”

The department's public focus July 10 also included election-security conditions for federal grants. Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced that states receiving homeland-security funding would face new requirements tied to election security and critical infrastructure.

“Election security is national security and protecting the Nation's critical infrastructure is a top priority. These new requirements for homeland security grant recipients will preserve election integrity and ensure that Americans can trust the results.”

The agency said it would withhold 20% of Homeland Security Grant Program funding, approximately $200 million, from jurisdictions until they met the new mandates. The conditions include verifying the citizenship of all voters and election workers.

The House Committee on Homeland Security's Democratic members separately issued a July 9 press release criticizing the administration's management of disaster grants. Its concerns preceded the investigative report by one day.

Immigration priorities shaped the administration's earlier defense

Joseph B. Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, described the administration's broader immigration approach in an end-of-year review issued Dec. 22, 2025. He said the agency had shifted toward an "America First" policy under Secretary Noem.

“With Secretary Noem in charge of homeland security, USCIS has taken an 'America First' approach, restoring order, security, integrity, and accountability to America's immigration system, ensuring that it serves the nation's interests and protects and prioritizes Americans over foreign nationals.”

That statement came before the staffing and funding allegations described in the House report. The investigation presents the reassignments as part of the same policy shift, arguing that disaster personnel and money were redirected to support detention and deportation operations.

The dispute now moves to congressional oversight. The July 13 hearing is scheduled as the 2026 disaster season continues, while the grant conditions add a separate funding test for state and local jurisdictions.