Overview
- The Department of Homeland Security’s Privacy Office concluded FEMA violated the Privacy Act by recording information tied to First Amendment–protected expression such as political signs and flags.
- Findings show a pattern across multiple disasters since Hurricane Ida in 2021, with documented entries including notes like "Trump sign, no contact per leadership" and recommendations to avoid certain homes.
- FEMA’s Disaster Survivor Assistance Field Operations Guide told staff to leave situations that felt "hostile" without defining the term, a gap the review says fostered subjective decisions to skip outreach.
- The review outlines procedural fixes to curb political data collection and reduce discretion in aid delivery, and DHS leadership announced referrals to the DOJ and the inspector general, an end to door-to-door surveys, and tighter training and oversight.
- The probe follows public reporting, the firing of crew leader Marn'i Washington, congressional questioning of then-Administrator Deanne Criswell, and state legal action launched by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.