Immigrants Aren’t Stealing FEMA Funds. They’re Driving Our Disaster Recovery.

With back-to-back Hurricanes Helene and Milton hitting six states, disaster recovery efforts have been predictably complex and lengthy. But the disinformation swirling around the government’s emergency response is only delaying and complicating relief for the people who need it.

Some strands of disinformation specifically target immigrants, claiming, for instance, that FEMA is running out of money because they spent it on housing for migrants. These are not fringe conspiracies; just one week after Helene made landfall, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump repeatedly and falsely claimed that $1 billion had gone missing from FEMA and instead went toward migrants.

Some assistance work had to be paused recently in order to protect aid workers from threats of violence, and Federal Emergency Management Agency had to take time to fact-check the lies.

The truth is that immigrants are a vital part of U.S. disaster recovery, not culprits. The ritual demonization of immigrants in partisan discourse is completely undeserved and distracts Americans from immigrants’ actual contributions.

Changing the discourse on immigrant contributions to the nation’s public safety and wellbeing requires a herculean cleanup effort that parallels the recovery work required after hurricanes, firestorms and mudslides. That immediate effort is to stem the harmful disinformation combined with a long-term commitment to build a more truthful picture of immigrants in American communities.

Even before an extreme weather event occurs, immigrants are key to disaster preparedness. A recent U.S. Department of Labor report details how foreign-born workers are more likely than native-born workers to work in service occupations – 21.8% versus 15.0%, as of 2023.

When storms are forecast, residents flock to stores and service providers for emergency supplies. There, they likely encounter immigrants whose work helps them board up their windows.

Food service workers provide sustenance during storms, such as the cafeteria workers in Florida who fed first responders and those in shelters during 2022’s Hurricane Ian. Some estimate that immigrants comprise 21% of workers throughout the food industry. Ironically, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – whose state is a frequent recipient of federal storm aid – passed anti-immigrant legislation last year that has hurt food-related businesses, from farm to table.

After Hurricane Helene hit, the shocking video of a house floating away and the images of devastated neighborhoods demonstrate the clear need for construction workers to repair and rebuild homes and businesses. Ongoing reports of devastation in S. Carolina, N. Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia reveal the scale of this urgent need. Indeed, a higher percentage of immigrant workers (11.7%) are employed in construction than in any other industry. These employees will fix roofs, repair water- and wind-damaged homes and construct new buildings. They will also help property owners retrofit their homes and landscaping now to protect against the inevitable storms to come.

The hurricanes, tornados, flooding and mudslides destroyed infrastructure, too. Roads washed away and bridges collapsed. And yes, immigrants do infrastructure work. The whole nation became aware of that in March when a ship crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing the six immigrant men from Mexico and Central America who were doing road repairs at 1:30 a.m.

Not only is all this disaster-related work by immigrants difficult, it’s also dangerous – even deadly.

There’s a reason that the U.S. government warns flood victims not to wade in flood waters filled with contaminants and animals, to wear protective gear such as masks against mold, to avoid electrocution and to not involve children in clean-up. The conditions are hazardous. Nonetheless, an investigative report last year describes a “disaster-restoration industry [that] has capitalized on low-wage immigrant labor” without sufficiently protecting the workers’ health and lives.

For historical perspective, in 2005 Hurricane Katrina brought devastation throughout Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. According to one scholar, the Latino and Asian victims of that storm were rendered practically invisible by the press at the time.

Just two years after the storm, the Latino population of New Orleans alone had increased by 57% as they relocated to the city and worked on rebuilding efforts. Thirteen years later, the city recognized and honored those Latino workers with a statue. Their cleanup work began immediately, but their public acknowledgement and appreciation took over a decade.

Immigrants are more than heroes during this country’s disasters. They are also victims. The weather does not distinguish between native-born and immigrant homes, so they suffer losses just like everyone in a storm or fire’s path. But they are doubly victimized when disaster relief disinformation specifically targets immigrants, intensifying the political rhetoric that scapegoats and dehumanizes them.

It’s well past time for all Americans to acknowledge the immigrant laboerers who are selflessly helping everyone recover after the storms. They deserve applause, not rancor.