NEW YORK (Quanta Report) — In a significant ruling, a federal judge has permanently blocked the Trump administration's attempt to suspend nearly $34 million in funding intended to fortify New York's transit system against terrorist threats.
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan declared the Trump administration's motivations for cutting the funds arbitrary and legally unjustified during a ruling delivered on Thursday. The decision was based on the city’s designation as a 'sanctuary city' under its immigrant protection policies, which the administration sought to penalize.
The funds allocated through the post-9/11 Transit Security Grant Program are meant to be distributed based solely on the assessment of terrorist risks, according to Kaplan. He had previously issued a temporary order to freeze the funding cuts pending this new ruling.
The funding freeze had originated from a lawsuit filed by the State against the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, following their announcement of cutting funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), responsible for New York’s expansive transit system.
A court filing revealed that officials from FEMA had indicated that the reason for withholding funds was that the MTA was based in a 'Sanctuary Jurisdiction city', directly linking funding decisions to immigration policies.
The MTA stated that this funding, which represents the largest allocation for any transit agency, is crucial for conducting targeted counterterrorism patrols, enhancing security infrastructure, cybersecurity initiatives, and deploying sophisticated weapons detection technologies.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James hailed the ruling as a victory for safety and security for all New Yorkers who rely on public transit. They emphasized that the court's decision reinforces that punishing the state by withdrawing essential security resources is unacceptable.
This ruling reaffirms that the Trump administration cannot arbitrarily defund law enforcement and critical resources that ensure the safety of transit riders,” Hochul and James stated.
