Thread: U.S. Citizenship Not Required for Disaster Assistance

U.S. Citizenship Not Required for Disaster Assistance
fema.gov
FEMA Mobile Site
Release Date: September 17, 2011
Release Number: 4020-036

ALBANY, N.Y. – People who are not U.S. citizens may be eligible for disaster assistance for damage from Hurricane Irene.

Disaster assistance is available to residents and businesses in Albany, Bronx, Clinton, Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Greene, Herkimer, Kings, Montgomery, Nassau, Orange, Otsego, Putnam, Queens, Rensselaer, Richmond, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, Warren, Washington and Westchester counties, which were declared a disaster area by President Obama.

The aid is available to citizens, non-citizen nationals, and qualified aliens. Qualified aliens include those with legal permanent residence (shown by green cards). Their status will not be jeopardized by requesting disaster assistance.

A minor child who is a citizen, non-citizen national or qualified alien can have a parent or guardian who is not eligible apply for assistance on the child’s behalf. No information will be gathered on the adult’s status.

The status of qualified alien includes:

legal permanent residents (those with green cards),
those with refugee or asylum status,
those whose deportation has been withheld,
those on parole into the U.S. for at least one year for humanitarian purposes,
those with conditional entry,
those who are Cuban-Haitian entrants,
and those with petitions for relief based on battery or extreme cruelty by a family member.

The application for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires applicants to certify that they are either citizens, non-citizen nationals or qualified aliens. FEMA conducts random audits of applications to verify U.S. citizenship and qualified alien documentation issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. However, assistance can be given as long as someone in the household is entitled to it, and no information will be gathered regarding the status of others in the household.

Undocumented immigrants from a household with no one eligible for cash assistance from FEMA may still be eligible for programs run by state, local or voluntary agencies.

Assistance for eligible individuals and small businesses includes funds for temporary housing and necessary home repairs, individual and household grants, disaster unemployment assistance, low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration and other programs.

Applicants with damage from the disaster can register by calling the FEMA Helpline line at 800-621-3362. The toll-free line is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET, seven days a week until further notice. For people with hearing impairments, use the TTY number at 800-462-7585. Applicants can also register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or with any web-enabled mobile device or smartphone at m.fema.gov. Follow the link to "apply online for federal assistance."

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Last Modified: Saturday, 17-Sep-2011 12:28:44

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=58063

The 14th needs to be clarified. We have Mexican Counsulates giving iterveiws and claiming that a certain region of our country is his responsibility to his people that under his jurisdiction. If they want their illegals to be given the same immunilty as their diplomats then the same rules should apply to them that apply to diplomats' children born here - they do not get citizenship. JMO

I hear that Pittston Pa & all the other town got hit bad her son . did go to the welfare . & could Not get any help . they were P/// off
but the mexico got help
. No amnesty

non-citizen nationals

Will someone please tell me where I can find the definition of a "non-citizen national" in the immigration laws of the US?

They must be talking about illegal aliens, and foreign nationals.

Dixie

Having been through many floods in a relatively short time, I can tell you that The Red Cross, Salvation Army and orgs like that are NOT allowed to ask for immigration status.

FEMA, on the other hand, they want to see citizenship papers, such as birth cert, naturalization paper, passport.

I have complained many, many times regarding this profiling. Why are Americans required to prove their status and illegal aliens are not? What the hell is wrong with this picture?!?!?!

I have seen many illegal aliens (it's a small town, they are proud of their illegal status and vocal about it) walking through the streets with lots of free goodies, after floods. Most of them live on second floors which do not flood. They think we are the biggest losers around for giving all this stuff away, no questions asked. They especially love the gift cards.

Meanwhile, I know senior citizens who are naturalized citizens,being asked to prove who they are before getting any help!

it not what you know it who you know to get any thing
SB
we can Not get any help SB
I know in Pa you have to show ID why . the who was in the
Disaster . is very bad I was just out to see my friend in Pittstston Pa I feel so sorry for every one every thing out in the street .
they have to start all over & not jobs
God bless Pa

Added to the Homepage
http://www.alipac.us/article6602.html

Disaster assistance should be available to those old enough to own a home or pay rent and not used as a loophole to open the floodgates of benefits to illegal invaders through their minor children! Whenever someone claims illegal invaders “cannot get benefitsâ€

In my town when FEMA was here all you had to do was go vist them and they would give out foodstamps. It didn't matter if you just had a little mud puddle by your house all you had to do was complain about it and wham bam thank you mam here's an EBT card to help you get over the hump or should I say the reward for having to jump or walk around that puddle. It was the biggest scam in town. Of course most of the people working for Fema were fluent in spanish.