Dozens of FEMA Staffers Involuntarily Reassigned to Support Deportations

The Washington Post

12:22 JST, August 7, 2025

The Department of Homeland Security has reassigned dozens of Federal Emergency Management Agency employees to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help vet and process new hires for the government’s mass deportation initiative.

DHS maintained that the moves are temporary and won’t hinder disaster readiness, but six current and former FEMA officials said losing that many people, even for a few months, will greatly slow operations while the already much-reduced agency is juggling multiple ongoing disaster declarations, including the historic Texas floods.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed the reassignments to The Washington Post, saying that “through the One Big Beautiful Bill, DHS is adopting an all-hands-on-deck strategy to recruit 10,000 new ICE agents.”

“To support this effort, select FEMA employees will temporarily be detailed to ICE for 90 days to assist with hiring and vetting,” McLaughlin wrote. “Their deployment will NOT disrupt FEMA’s critical operations. FEMA remains fully prepared for Hurricane Season. Patriotic Americans are encouraged to apply at join.ice.gov.”

FEMA had already lost about 2,000 people in recent months, since Trump administration officials announced their intention to reduce the agency’s role in disaster response and transfer authority to states.

Then, over the past week, DHS transferred more than 100 people to ICE – half of FEMA’s human resources department and about 50 people from its security team, according to the six current and former officials, two of whom have direct knowledge of the reassignments. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the moves.

An email obtained by The Post titled “Notice of Management-Directed Reassignment” stated that the employee receiving the email was being “reassigned to the position of Personnel Security Specialist” located at DHS in Los Angeles. The FEMA staffer had seven days to either accept or decline the reassignment. If they did not respond, FEMA and DHS would consider that “as an acceptance of the directed reassignment.” If they declined, they “may be subject to removal from Federal service.”

“We appreciate your service and hope your new assignment will be both challenging and rewarding,” the email stated.

If employees have to move for their reassignments, FEMA, in many cases, has to cover those relocation expenses, according to federal law. Those moves can add up to tens of thousands of dollars per person, one official explained.

The American Prospect first reported FEMA staffers receiving a similar email by FEMA staffers on Wednesday.

While FEMA has helped DHS with missions in the past and vice versa, officials said forcing this many people to take reassignments during hurricane season, when the agency is already stretched thin, marks a sharp departure.

Human resources and security are critical to disaster response as well as to FEMA’s everyday mission, according to multiple current officials and Deanne Criswell, a former FEMA administrator.

“For most large disasters, FEMA brings on local hires to augment the response,” Criswell said. “They need to be processed by human capital and vetted by security.”

FEMA is unable to hire for many roles under DHS’s strict new budget rules, so there are not many new personnel actions going through. But FEMA’s human resources and security staff members are still expected to approve local hires for most disasters, as well as carry out other responsibilities.

“These folks still have cases to work, and we certainly wouldn’t relinquish the capacity during hurricane season. Things like renewals, contractors, even doing investigations on state and local folks,” said an official familiar with security staff operations. “These folks were needed.”

The reassignments to ICE may be a stretch legally, according to three people familiar with the teams. Some of the workers are funded through the federal Disaster Relief Fund, which imposes certain restrictions. Under federal law and FEMA’s own policies, staffers such as these can perform non-disaster work in a training status for up to 90 days. But the intent is to gain skills they can apply to their positions.

It’s unclear whether that’s happening with the staffers assigned to ICE. Some work, such as processing non-disaster employees, is outside the scope of what they do at FEMA. Many of the staffers are part of a specific branch or focus area – for example, running particular checks for advanced clearances – according to two people familiar with the teams.

“The problem,” one official familiar with security staff operations explained, “is we add a layer to their existing mission, and it can get screwy, because it would be us assuming another agency’s duty and authority.”

If the workers are funded through other sources, they could remain at ICE longer than 90 days, with fewer restrictions.

It’s unclear whether the reassignments indicate how FEMA’s mission or responsibilities might shift under this administration.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested eliminating the agency. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem has said she wants to shrink its authority and capabilities – and has been doing so through restrictive budget approval processes that have ground to a halt much of FEMA’s operations. Many states have had to wait months for disaster funding.

After the floods in Texas, some administration officials appeared to walk back their comments about eliminating FEMA.

But further chipping away at the agency’s resources can create only more problems and delays, current and former staffers said.

At FEMA, the human resources team – the Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer – typically ensures that the agency has appropriate contracts and processes local hires who would run services for disaster-stricken communities such as those in Texas, New Mexico, West Virginia and Kentucky.

FEMA’s security team, under the chief security officer, helps vet new employees, contractors and state workers year-round, not just during disasters. But in a major event such as a hurricane, that team may work 10,000 cases a week to swiftly bring on all the personnel needed to respond, according to an official familiar with security’s work. Those staffers also coordinate security for all field operations.

“With the increased threats during the Hurricane Helene response, they were critical in coordinating with local law enforcement to protect our personnel in the field,” Criswell explained.

FEMA staffers have worked with DHS on immigration initiatives before. Past administrations, including President Joe Biden’s, have pushed the agency to use its reservists and other staff members for work along the southern border because FEMA is designed by law to add staff members quickly. Under Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, though, the moves were voluntary.

Last year, Republicans scrutinized how the agency used resources – including allowing 50 workers who volunteered to be reassigned for 90 days – for migrants at the border through its Shelter and Services Program.

“I think as an agency of the United States government, we need to prioritize United States citizens,” Rep. Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) said in a hearing last year. “I don’t think I can go back to people at home saying ‘Yes, they’re properly triaging the needs of our own citizens.’”

Since taking office, though, Trump has declared a massive immigration emergency and pushed to direct heavy amounts of resources to raid communities and deport undocumented immigrants.

In response, DHS has been actively recruiting and hiring more deportation officers, attorneys and criminal investigators – and it needs people to get these hires vetted and ready to go.

“America has been invaded by criminals and predators. We need YOU to get them out,” the agency said in a pitch featuring a caricature of Uncle Sam and offering signing bonuses and other benefits.

According to two people familiar with the reassignments, some FEMA staff are still working from the agency but are supporting ICE’s hiring processes by performing background checks and screenings.

The moves leave FEMA staffing even more thin, current and former employees said, and could be a big problem if a major hurricane or wildfire were to strike.

“If we have a big disaster surge and ‘discover’ staffing holes, there is no pipeline in motion working toward addressing any attrition,” said one employee. “They are quietly strangling our capability.”