“The Trump administration’s plan to divert money away from FEMA at the start of hurricane season to continue its efforts to separate and jail migrant families is backwards and cruel," Schumer said in a statement.

ADVERTISEMENT "Taking these critical funds from disaster preparedness and recovery efforts threatens lives and weakens the government’s ability to help Americans in the wake of natural disasters," he continued. "Congress appropriated these funds to meet the American peoples’ priorities and I strongly oppose this effort to undermine our constitutional authority."

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Tuesday that it will reprogram $271 million to expand its immigration detention capacity and fund a program to return Central American migrants to Mexico.

Of the total DHS funding reallocation, $116 million will go toward single adult detention beds, while $155 million will be used to cater to the Migrant Protection Protocols program.

In addition to FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund, money will be taken from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration.

The decision comes as Tropical Storm Dorian is nearing Puerto Rico and could strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches the island.

The move has sparked backlash from congressional Democrats who ripped the administration's response to Hurricane Maria, which ravaged the U.S. territory in 2017.

A spokesperson for FEMA said the transfer would leave a balance of $447 million in the FEMA disaster relief funds base account.