A federal court judge has given New York Attorney General Letitia James and the 11 other attorneys general who joined with her in a lawsuit against the Trump administration the summary judgment they had been seeking. The lawsuit was designed to force the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to restore hundreds of millions of dollars it had cut in Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) funding to states that have refused to support its mass deportations of immigrants.
Federal Judge Mary S. McElroy of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island, who was nominated to the court by Donald Trump, ordered the administration to restore grant funds it had taken away from the states that won the lawsuit.
New York state saw a reduction of more than $100 million, or 77% of its HSGP funds. The federal money helps support counter-terrorism activities, border security measures along New York’s border with Canada, and efforts to protect essential infrastructure like power grids and water systems throughout the state from attacks. Tens of millions of dollars go every year to the New York City Police Department and the New York City Fire Department for training and planning to protect high-risk areas of New York City.
“Law enforcement and local leaders throughout New York depend on these funds to keep New Yorkers safe,” James said. “The administration’s attempt to play politics with these resources was illegal and put our state at risk. This decision is a significant win in our ongoing efforts to protect New Yorkers from reckless funding cuts.”
Joining Attorney General James in the lawsuit were the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
Judge McElroy wrote, “Since the beginning of the current administration, the executive branch has repeatedly sought to tie federal grant funding for programs like HSGP to state and local governments’ assistance with federal immigration enforcement. On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order directing DHS to ‘ensure that so-called ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions . . . do not receive access to Federal funds.’”
The lawsuit had been filed Sept. 29, and on Sept. 30 the court entered a temporary restraining order directing the administration to reverse what it had done. Judge McElroy has now found that the attorneys general demonstrated that what the administration did was arbitrary and capricious and issued a summary judgment in their favor.
“Sanctuary status was surely not among the factors that Congress considered when, in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, it authorized HSGP to provide counterterrorism funding to state and local governments,” Judge McElroy wrote in her decision. “Defendants’ wanton abuse of their role in federal grant administration is particularly troublesome given the fact that they have been entrusted with a most solemn duty: safeguarding our nation and its citizens.”
