Page last updated: 07/23/2021
La Unión del Pueblo Entero v. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a lawsuit filed by Texas RioGrande Legal Aid in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas Laredo Division. The plaintiff alleges that FEMA has been using secret rules to decide how to distribute billions of dollars in disaster assistance across the nation. The lawsuit further states that FEMA’s refusal to publish its rules diminishes recovery efficiency and effectiveness, and violates the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552, and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 701, et seq. Plaintiff La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) seeks an order directing FEMA to publish on its website all substantive and procedural rules that it uses, as required by 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(2).