By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
The Department of Homeland Security plans to transfer $271 million from some of its agencies to support the Trump administration’s border enforcement efforts.
ICE will use the money to increase the number of beds for detained immigrants and to finance temporary facilities along the U.S.-Mexico border, CNN reports.
At least $155 million of that money comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief fund as the hurricane season approaches.
The Trump administration announced last week that it plans to hold migrant families indefinitely.
DHS notified Congress of its plans in July.
Congressional Democrats criticized the transfer of funds.
“The Trump administration’s plan to divert money away from FEMA at the start of hurricane season to continue its efforts to separate and jail migrant families is backwards and cruel,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said. “Taking these critical funds from disaster preparedness and recovery efforts threatens lives and weakens the government’s ability to help Americans in the wake of natural disasters. Congress appropriated these funds to meet the American peoples’ priorities and I strongly oppose this effort to undermine our constitutional authority.”
