Court Extends Order Blocking Department of Homeland Security From Diverting Transit Safety Funding From New York
Governor Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement after the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York extended a court order blocking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from redirecting more than $33 million in critical anti-terrorism funding targeted for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
Governor Hochul and Attorney General James said,“This court has again prevented the federal government from revoking critical counterterrorism funds for our state. These funds help keep our trains, buses and subways safe for the millions of New Yorkers who rely on them every day. We will continue fighting to ensure that New York gets the resources we need to support our law enforcement and keep people safe every day.”
Attorney General James sued the administration on September 30 after DHS cut New York’s Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP) allocation from over $33 million to zero — an unlawful decision that was allegedly intended to punish New York for its so-called “sanctuary” policies to protect the rights of immigrant communities. Today, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York extended a temporary restraining order to October 22, prohibiting DHS from diverting critical TSGP funds away from New York or letting the funding lapse back to the U.S. Treasury.