The Department of Homeland Security transferred nearly $10 million from FEMA to ICE to be spent on the agency's detention centers.
That's according to documents released by Sen. Jeff Merkley, who called the transfer "unbelievable" and "reprehensible." He also reportedly accused the Trump administration of using funds from hurricane relief.
But it's not clear what Merkley is basing his accusations on. The transfer documents specifically say the money didn't come from disaster relief — it came from FEMA's budgets for "training, travel, public engagement, IT security support and infrastructure maintenance."
The documents do say some money came from "Response and Recovery," but a former official told The Washington Post that pays for after-action reports, logistics and supply chain management.
The nearly $10 million was also only about 1 percent of the agency's total budget.
A spokesman for DHS reiterated on Tuesday that the money didn't come from any disaster relief funding and called the document's release a "sorry attempt to push a false agenda."
FEMA was one of 10 government agencies that had some of their budgets transferred to ICE.
Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.
