New york: A US judge has temporarily blocked the federal government from diverting $34 million in funds intended to protect New York's transit system from terrorism, referencing the 9/11 attacks and ongoing security threats.
According to Anadolu Agency, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan indicated that New York is "quite likely" to prove that the funds were being improperly redirected as part of the Trump administration's effort to penalize the state for its refusal to cooperate with a large-scale deportation program. The ruling, a temporary restraining order, is set to remain in effect until October 15, when Kaplan is expected to issue a longer injunction.
On Tuesday, the state filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The suit highlighted that the Rail and Transit Security Grant Program was established post-September 11, 2001, to safeguard transit systems against threats such as chemical, biological, radiological, and explosive dangers.
New York's transit system is not the only target of federal funding cuts. The Trump administration also reduced the city's police federal counterterrorism funding from $90 million to approximately $10 million. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described this reduction as 'profoundly bad news.'
In his temporary restraining order, Judge Kaplan underscored that the program's allocation should be strictly based on terrorism risk. He noted, "Obviously, New York is no stranger to risks of terrorist attacks and it's not just 9/11 that tells us that," citing multiple attacks since the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
The judge concluded that it is "reasonably likely, quite likely" that the state will demonstrate the funding cuts were politically motivated, stemming from the Trump administration's effort to penalize jurisdictions resisting participation in what it called "the largest deportation mission in history."
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has publicly criticized cities voting for Democrats, labeling them as dangerous places to live and threatening to deploy federal troops.
Current New York Mayor Eric Adams, who assumed office as a Democrat in 2022, sought reelection as an independent but exited the race on Sunday. Trump has also targeted the current front-runner in the mayoral race, Democrat Zohran Mamdani, threatening to cut federal funds from the city if Mamdani wins.