Some immigrants who were victims of the wildfires that ravaged northern California won't apply for federal aid, fearing that language in FEMA forms could end in deportation, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Their concern: Information they supply to receive federal aid from FEMA would be shared with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), both agencies under the Department of Homeland Security.
A Democratic state legislator plans to send a letter Thursday to FEMA director Brock Long for clarification, the Chronicle reported.
And those fears also have reached the office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
President Donald Trump's "heartless immigration policies caused this problem, and now we're seeing immigrant families declining federal help they're eligible for because they're scared," Feinstein said in a statement to the Chronicle.
"FEMA should make crystal clear that it will work with ICE to ensure immigrant families won't be targeted for deportation."
A FEMA spokesman said the agency does not ask for immigration status, and that he wasn't aware of any of the previous 4 million requests for aid being shared with ICE, the Chronicle reported.
However, "if a significant law enforcement interest exists, FEMA may share information with DHS law enforcement partners," the spokesman, David Passey, said in the statement, the Chronicle reported.
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