Army Vet Calls Out FEMA for Prioritizing Migrants Over Hurricane Victims, Takes Matters Into His Own Hands

Florida GOP Congressman and U.S. Army combat veteran Cory Mills criticized the Biden-Harris administration on Wednesday for redirecting Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) resources to resettle migrants who have entered the country illegally, rather than focusing on domestic crises.

Mills has been actively delivering food, supplies, medicine, and Starlink communication kits to areas in North Carolina most affected by Hurricane Helene. He is working alongside Glenn Beck's humanitarian aid group, Mercury One, and Universal Air to support relief efforts.

During an interview on Fox News, host Martha MacCallum asked Mills about the level of federal assistance being provided in response to the hurricane.

Mills responded, "That’s really one of the missing pieces, which is the federal piece. Let’s go ahead and point out the obvious, which is that FEMA had utilized a large majority of the personnel who should be here taking care of this to be sent and [instead] repurposed, if you will, for immigration resettlement, when we need to be focused on Americans and what’s going on, whether it be in Maui, Palestine, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, or Tennessee."

The New York Post reported that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas sparked outrage when he revealed that FEMA "does not have the funds" to provide aid through the rest of the Atlantic hurricane season after diverting resources to address the migrant crisis. "We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have," Mayorkas said aboard Air Force One as he accompanied President Biden on a visit to storm-damaged areas in North and South Carolina. He added, "We are expecting another hurricane hitting... FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season and what — what is imminent."

America First Legal, a conservative organization, claimed on social media platform X that over $1 billion in taxpayer funds had been used over the past two years to shelter and care for illegal immigrants through a FEMA-administered program.

Mayorkas pushed back on criticisms of the federal response to Hurricane Helene. When asked by a reporter about complaints that the federal government wasn’t doing enough, he responded, "I would say the following: that we are there, and we will continue to be there, and we will reach the most difficult-to-access locations. We are relentless in our efforts to ensure the safety and the security of all."

The White House announced on Wednesday that it would send "up to 1,000 active-duty soldiers" to assist in the hurricane recovery efforts. However, during an interview with Fox News’ Dana Perino, Mills noted that it took the Biden-Harris administration six days to take this action following the storm’s landfall.

"What do you make of that?" Perino asked Mills.

Mills explained, "Well, again you’re talking six days, outside the 96-hour window… In that first 96 hours, it’s about rescues. You’re talking about going in helping people within the first couple of days to be able to get them out of troubled areas. Now you’re actually transitioning into what will likely be [dead body] recoveries."

Mills concluded by calling the Biden-Harris administration’s response to the hurricane "lacking, irresponsible, and inept."

Previously, Mills, a former member of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, has led rescue missions in Afghanistan, Haiti, and Israel, evacuating Americans trapped in dangerous situations.