DHS: FEMA at times recorded personal data during Biden administration

Ben Mause, Baltimore Sun on Oct 22, 2025

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WASHINGTON — FEMA workers improperly recorded personal information of some individuals in the wake of some storms and disasters dating back to 2021, according to an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security that was released Tuesday.

The investigation detailed 10 instances of data collection that exceeded FEMA’s guidance, all related to people’s First Amendment rights. The 10 examples included descriptions of signs supporting President Donald Trump, opposing former President Joe Biden and promoting gun rights.

Among federal employees and contractors for FEMA, 102 instances of potentially impermissible information collection were found during the investigation. The report didn’t provide specifics on what information was collected or how it was impermissible beyond the 10 examples.

DHS did not find evidence of a broader directive from top FEMA officials for workers to avoid homes of Trump supporters. It concluded that the agency lacked guidance for how canvassers should respond in certain situations.

“While the DHS Privacy Office was unable to find evidence of a broader directive from FEMA leadership to bypass homes based on political affiliation, the DHS Privacy Office did find that FEMA has no guidance to address the issues involved in this investigation,” the report said. “This lack of guidance leaves significant questions up to the individual canvasser’s judgement, which increases the likelihood of collecting impermissible information and unfair decision-making.”

In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton in October of last year, reports emerged of a FEMA supervisor directing her workers to avoid homes displaying signs supporting Trump. Roughly 20 homes initially missed receiving aid from FEMA because of the directive, according to the report.

“This is a clear violation of FEMA’s core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation,” then-FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said at the time. “This was reprehensible.”

The incident, first reported by the Daily Wire, drew rebuke from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. He called it a “blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy.”

“New leadership is on the way in DC,” DeSantis added in a post on X. “I’m optimistic that these partisan bureaucrats will be fired.”

The worker was fired the next day.

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