No, FEMA Helene funds aren’t going to undocumented immigrants, despite Youngkin appointee’s tweet

Samantha Willis
October 8, 2024 2:28 pm


From FEMA: “An official points to damage from Hurricane Helene (in Washington County, Va.,, speaking with FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Timothy Pheil. Officials surveyed damage with staff from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Virginia National Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA.” (Nicholas Monteleone/ FEMA)

We’re four weeks away from electing the country’s next commander-in-chief and Virginia’s representatives in the U.S. Senate and Congress, and in the wake of one of the most devastating hurricanes the Southeast has seen in years. It’s an especially bad moment to be spreading misinformation online. ... It seems Rooz Dadabhoy has a poor sense of timing. Dadabhoy is the president of Rally Virginia, an organization that describes itself as “the home of the modern Republican woman,” a tech company CEO and a VCU Board of Visitors member appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Rooz Dadabhoy, president of Rally Virginia, a tech company CEO and a VCU Board of Visitors member appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, posted this tweet containing misinformation about FEMA funds on Oct. 5, 2024. The post was later deleted. (Screenshot)

“FEMA has spent hundreds of millions on its ‘Shelter and Services Program’ for ILLEGAL migrants this year—and it’s right there on FEMA’s own website. WHAT ABOUT HELPING OUR OWN CITIZENS???? Shame on HARRIS-BIDEN!!!” Dadabhoy’s now-deleted Oct. 5 tweet read. The post included a photo that appeared to show a teary-eyed, wet-haired little girl sitting on a boat, wearing a life jacket and clutching an equally-soaked puppy as another boat floats down a river in the background.

Most people who saw it, including me, immediately connected the picture to the water-logged Southeast now recovering from Hurricane Helene. Over 100 people died in the storm, and entire communities in hardest-hit North Carolina were washed away. There’s been significant flooding in Southwest Virginia, as The Mercury has reported, with at least 519 homes damaged or destroyed; two people have perished. That’s reality.

The photo in Dadabhoy’s tweet, however, is not. It’s an AI-generated image, which I was able to confirm in less than 15 minutes by running the photo through three different free AI detection tools online. She could have easily done the same — and should have — before sharing this fake photo. ... Dadabhoy’s words are also not rooted in reality. The tweet implies that FEMA funds are being routed to undocumented migrants instead of American-born natural disaster victims, a false claim parroted by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and repeatedly debunked by FEMA in recent days.

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Samantha Willis
Samantha Willis, a 13-year digital, print and broadcast media veteran, is the Virginia Mercury’s Editor-in-Chief. Samantha is a native Virginian who was formerly Deputy/Commentary Editor at the Mercury, Editorial Producer at VPM News Focal Point, Arts Editor at Richmond Magazine and Digital Content Manager at ABC 8News. Samantha’s work has earned an Emmy, and first place Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters and Virginia Press Association awards.

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