DHS Will Hold Immigration Hearings Inside FEMA's Headquarters, With Staff Told to Stay Out of the Room

FEMA's office of the administrator emailed staff on the evening of September 4, 2026 that the Department of Homeland Security, working with the Justice Department, would use a conference center inside FEMA's Washington headquarters, and that "FEMA staff should not access the space as it is used for non agency-related activities." The Washington Post, citing five agency officials and the email, reported the space would begin hosting immigration hearings as early as the following Tuesday, with one official expecting 40 to 50 hearings a day. The room is in a publicly accessible part of the building normally used for trainings and meetings.

The arrangement puts immigration adjudication inside the headquarters of the agency responsible for disaster response, during the typical peak of hurricane season, and continues a pattern of routing FEMA space and personnel toward immigration enforcement.

A DHS spokesperson said the arrangement "will not impact FEMA's workforce or disrupt any of FEMA's normal operations." Staff quoted anonymously raised concerns about protests and about being "lumped in by association."