Nogales, Arizona — The U.S. government is “absolutely not” diverting hurricane and disaster relief funds to subsidize care for migrants crossing the southern border, the top Customs and Border Protection official said in an exclusive interview with CBS News.

Troy Miller, a longtime career official who has led CBP since 2022, strongly refuted false claims by former President Donald Trump and other Republicans that federal disaster relief had been compromised by a government program that reimburses organizations that assist migrants processed at the US-Mexico border. Created by Congress and known as the Shelter and Services Program, this initiative is a joint effort between CBP and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The inaccurate claims that the Biden administration used FEMA disaster relief funds to accept or relocate migrants have surfaced as communities in North Carolina, Florida and other states suffer from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

When asked if these claims were true, Miller replied: “Absolutely not. The Shelter and Services Program is authorized and independently funded by Congress. It has nothing to do with the disaster relief funds.”

Asked whether disaster relief funds would be redirected to the Migrant Shelter and Services Program, Miller responded with one word: “None.”

Miller also said CBP is supporting search and rescue efforts in the area Aftermath of Hurricane Milton in Florida, where the agency has a large presence. He said personnel from the agency’s three main divisions – U.S. Border Patrol, the Office of Field Operations and Air and Marine Operations – were ready to help those affected by the powerful storm.

“The search and rescue teams will go to specific locations, get as close to the storm as possible and then actually respond to the rescue requests,” Miller said.

The false claims about FEMA and migrant funds

The false and misleading claims about FEMA’s disaster relief funding gained traction online after Hurricane Helene caused devastating damage, particularly in western North Carolina.

At a rally in Michigan earlier this month, Trump accused the Biden administration of stealing FEMA funds for immigration purposes. “They stole the FEMA money just like they stole it from a bank so they could give it to their illegal immigrants,” he said.

Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has also sought to link the federal government’s response to the hurricanes — and its effectiveness — to migrant care reimbursement funds.

The Biden administration, Vance claimed on Fox News, “has effectively turned FEMA into an agency to help with relocation and to help combat illegal immigration.”

However, the FEMA and CBP Migrant Assistance Fund is a program created by Congress, not the Biden administration. Congress first began appropriating money for this purpose in fiscal year 2019, during the Trump administration.

The congressionally authorized program to compensate those assisting migrants began in fiscal year 2019 as part of FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program. In fiscal year 2023, Congress replaced this fund with the current Shelter and Services Program. According to the Congressional Research Service, it is funded by CBP and administered by FEMA.

Both versions of the fund have allowed organizations and jurisdictions along the southern border and in interior U.S. communities that receive migrants to receive compensation for their efforts to house, feed and otherwise support those released from federal immigration detention became. The money is not available to migrants who enter the U.S. illegally without turning into federal agents.

The funding provided by Congress for the Migrant Care Grant Program represents a fraction of the funding provided for FEMA’s disaster relief efforts. For fiscal year 2024, for example, Congress has appropriated more than $40 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund. By comparison, the agency said last month that it would provide $641 million in fiscal year 2024 to compensate those who harbor and support migrants.

No funds from the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund were redirected to the Migrant Care Reimbursement Initiative, the agency said.

In 2019, the Trump administration have notified Congress announced that it would redirect funds from various parts of the Department of Homeland Security – including FEMA disaster relief funds – to its immigration policy.

The redirected FEMA disaster aid, the Trump administration told Congress at the time, would be used to build facilities along the U.S.-Mexico border to hear the asylum claims of migrants in the so-called “Remain in Mexico” program were recorded.