Elon Musk claims FEMA spending $59M to house illegal immigrants in NYC hotels
The newly appointed acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency thanked Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency on Monday for uncovering that FEMA reportedly spent $59 million last week alone to house illegal immigrants in luxury Manhattan hotels.
Musk, whom President Donald Trump appointed to head DOGE in an effort to expose government waste, fraud and abuse, claimed that the Biden administration was lying last October when they assured that no FEMA funds were being diverted to illegal aliens.
"The @DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants," Musk tweeted Monday morning. "Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President's executive order."
"That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high end hotels for illegals! A clawback demand will be made today to recoup those funds," he added.
Cameron Hamilton, who served as acting administrator of FEMA since Jan. 22, retweeted Musk's claim and expressed appreciation for DOGE's findings.
"I want to thank the @DOGE team for making me aware of this. Effective yesterday these payments have all been suspended from FEMA. Personnel will be held accountable," Hamilton wrote.
Social media erupted in response to Musk's claim, and the billionaire went on to accuse the Biden administration of covering up that FEMA funds were going to illegal immigrants.
"Yes, that was a huge lie by the Biden administration. Funds were diverted from almost every part of the federal government to maximize the number of illegals in America. There also appear to be significant funds siphoned from Social Security to pay for illegals," Musk said.
Yes, that was a huge lie by the Biden administration.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 10, 2025
Funds were diverted from almost every part of the federal government to maximize the number of illegals in America.
There also appear to be significant funds siphoned from Social Security to pay for illegals.@DOGEhttps://t.co/xL20GMNL5X
The revelation comes on the heels of Trump touring the parts of Los Angeles that were destroyed by wildfires, as well as the storm-ravaged parts of western North Carolina near Asheville, many of whose residents continue to live in tents after being offered $750 in relief.
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Matt Van Swole, an Asheville resident who has drawn attention on X for facilitating assistance for hurricane survivors, claimed last month that members of U.S. Congress got involved after FEMA was attempting to evict thousands of North Carolina residents from hotels during winter after their homes were destroyed.
On Jan. 24, when Trump visited Swannanoa, North Carolina — a small, unincorporated community that is among the places hardest hit by Helene's devastation — rural residents told him that the region continues to suffer four months after Hurricane Helene.
During the press conference, Trump called the Biden administration's response to the hurricane a "disgrace" and floated the idea of eliminating FEMA altogether, which is a thought echoed by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem when she visited Swannanoa last week, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times.
DOGE has been the subject of intense scrutiny since Trump established the agency via executive order. Musk has dispatched staff to multiple agencies in recent weeks and has accessed databases at the Office of Personnel Management and the Treasury Department, where he claims to have found extensive financial waste.
On Saturday, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer, an Obama appointee, blocked the Treasury Department from providing access to anyone "other than civil servants with a need for access to perform their job duties," prompting Musk to suggest that "the worst 1% of appointed judges, as determined by elected bodies, be fired every year."
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
