The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will allocate $608 million to help states build temporary migrant detention facilities through its new "detention support grant program." This initiative supports the Trump administration’s push to increase migrant detention capacity nationwide. States have until August 8 to apply for this funding, which FEMA will administer in collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has already announced plans to apply for the grant to fund the state’s proposed detainee center nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” projected to cost $450 million annually. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem indicated that Florida’s facility would also draw on FEMA’s separate $650-million migrant shelter and services program, originally established during the Biden administration to support local governments and nonprofits with migrant care. FEMA declined to confirm whether Florida would ultimately receive funds from the detention-specific pot.

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SOURCE: NBC News