Cory Mills says ‘immigration resettlement’ hinders FEMA aid to hurricane victims: ‘Not getting the support’

Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) said that he's been in North Carolina for days in a recover-and-rescue mission to help bring in supplies for victims affected by Hurricane Helene because the Federal Emergency Management Agency is short on resources due to its role in " immigration resettlement."

"[We're] delivering insulin and oxygen bottles. For a lot of people, it is not just food, water, and nonperishables but it is medication that they are short on. So we're trying to fulfill those needs until the federal government can get up and do what they have to be doing," Mills told Fox News host Martha MacCallum on Wednesday.

"Let’s go 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 replaced or repurposed for immigration resettlement when we need to be focusing on Americans whether it be in Maui, Palestine, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, or Tennessee," Mills said.

In April 2024, the Department of Homeland Security, through FEMA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, provided $300 million in grants to communities to resettle immigrants .

On Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters that FEMA is running out of money for hurricane season.

“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting,” Mayorkas said. “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.”

Mills has been working with private organizations, including Mercury One, Universal Air, and Sentinel Foundation, to help hurricane victims and said the federal government is the "missing piece" to rescue efforts.

"This is a group project where Americans are coming together to answer the calls when the federal government fails to act," he added.

Mills said he's hearing unconfirmed reports of 1,000 to 1,200 missing people in the hurricane aftermath.

The Army veteran is hoping that the missing persons report will come down as they get SpaceX's Starlink devices in place to help the communications infrastructures within damaged areas.

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In March, Mills helped evacuate Americans in Haiti as the country turned to chaos, and in 2021, he helped lead numerous rescue missions to Afghanistan to save stranded Americans.

The Washington Examiner reached out to FEMA for comment.