Well, it looks like the Trump administration is wasting no time cleaning house, and the Department of Homeland Security just proved it. Four federal employees are being fired for secretly approving a $59 million payout—without authorization—to fund luxury hotel stays for illegal migrants in New York City. If that sounds familiar, it’s because this is exactly the kind of reckless spending that defined the Biden years, and now, under new leadership, it’s finally being addressed.
The fiasco was exposed after Elon Musk called out FEMA for secretly sending the money just last week. According to Musk, the payment directly violated President Trump’s executive order, which put strict limits on using taxpayer dollars for illegal immigrant housing. “That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high-end hotels for illegals!” Musk wrote, making it clear that the funds were misused and would be clawed back immediately.
This isn’t the first time FEMA has been caught prioritizing illegal migrants over American citizens. During Biden’s tenure, the agency faced heavy criticism when it struggled to provide adequate disaster relief for American victims—while somehow managing to find the funds to bankroll migrant accommodations. The excuse was always the same: FEMA operates separate funds for different programs, with money allocated to things like the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), which helps provide assistance to migrants released into the U.S. But as Speaker Mike Johnson pointed out, regardless of how the budget is structured, FEMA has no business bankrolling the border crisis.
Isn’t government transparency …. DOGE 😏
Btw, that’s $59 million in ONE week https://t.co/RcviQwsfgD pic.twitter.com/8rYjW3G8Dd
— 🇺🇸𝕄𝔸𝔾𝔸 𝑵𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒚 ن ♱ (@45LVNancy) February 10, 2025
New York City, a sanctuary city that has long prided itself on welcoming illegal immigrants with open arms (and open wallets), confirmed to Fox News that the Biden administration allocated the funds for migrant housing. The breakdown? Nearly one-third—about $19 million—went directly toward hotel costs, while the rest was used for food, security, and other services. NYC officials insist this wasn’t disaster relief money, but that’s hardly the point. The real issue is that sanctuary cities like New York have spent billions of taxpayer dollars offering free housing, food, education, and healthcare to illegal immigrants—all while their own citizens struggle with rising costs and crumbling infrastructure.
Rep. Mike Lawler didn’t hold back, calling the firings “long overdue” and slamming the years of financial mismanagement that led up to this moment. “These funds have been misappropriated going back to the Biden administration,” Lawler said. “New York City—a sanctuary city—has been wasting billions of dollars of taxpayer money to provide free housing, clothing, food, education, and healthcare to illegal immigrants, including criminal aliens that are here illegally.”
Elon Musk exposed that FEMA handed $59 million to illegal immigrants just last week—but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
Rep. Anna Paulina didn’t hold back, slamming FEMA after the Hurricane Helene disaster, where the agency funneled over $1 billion in housing assistance to… pic.twitter.com/GdiFTMJeEY
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) February 10, 2025
DHS has made it clear that this is just the beginning. Those who approved the payment will be “held accountable,” and it’s likely that more firings and financial clawbacks are on the horizon. Under Trump, there is a new standard: federal agencies work for the American people, not for sanctuary city politicians who want to turn taxpayer-funded programs into an endless cash pipeline for illegal migrants.
The message is clear: the Biden-era free-for-all is over. Those who defy executive orders, funnel taxpayer money into illegal migrant programs, or act as rogue operatives within the federal government will be exposed and removed. If only this level of accountability had existed over the last four years, maybe American citizens wouldn’t have had to take a backseat to the open-border agenda in the first place. But at least now, the cleanup has begun.
