New York Attorney General Letitia James boasted about her new legal victory on Tuesday against the Department of Homeland Security over disaster funding cuts to the state.
James was one of 12 Democratic attorneys general who sued the Trump administration after their states were alerted they would receive reduced funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The funding cuts were made in response to the “sanctuary” states’ refusal to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
Funding for the $1 billion Homeland Security Grant Program was intended to protect national security and emergency response programs, the New York official argued. DHS reallocated that funding in September, prompting James and others to file an additional lawsuit after winning a previous case.
“We won our case against [DHS], restoring funding for lifesaving anti-terrorism and emergency response programs,” she said on X. “This is a major victory for our law enforcement and local leaders who depend on these funds to keep New Yorkers safe.”
U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2019, sided with the plaintiffs in this case. She concluded that the funding set aside for counterterrorism and law enforcement programs was indeed “vital.” As a result, DHS was ordered to return the money originally allocated to the plaintiff states.
In her ruling issued Monday, the Rhode Island judge referenced this month’s shooting at Brown University as a reason why the money would be essential in responding to an emergency.
“To hold hostage funding for programs like these based solely on what appear to be defendants’ political whims is unconscionable and, at least here, unlawful,” she wrote.
Joining New York in the lawsuit were California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
FEMA previously granted $250 million to the 12 plaintiff states. New York lost more than $100 million, or 77%, of its FEMA funds, James said in a press release.
The funding in question helps strengthen security along the border between New York and Canada and protect critical infrastructure in the state from possible attacks, her office said. The New York City Police Department and the New York City Fire Department also benefit from the allocated funds.
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Other attorneys general joined James in celebrating their win this week.
“I’m pleased with the court’s ruling. Congress approved this funding with the understanding that our nation is at its strongest when all Americans, regardless of where they reside, are protected from terrorist attacks, natural disasters and other life-threatening emergencies,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said. “I will continue to stand with my colleagues against the Trump administration’s illegal and dangerous attempts to coerce states into compliance with the president’s political agenda.”