A federal judge just stopped President Donald Trump from pulling a political stunt that could’ve put millions of New Yorkers at risk.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan issued a restraining order Wednesday blocking the federal government from withholding critical counterterrorism funding from New York City’s subway system. The move came after the Trump reportedly tried to strip the aid in response to the city’s “sanctuary” policies protecting undocumented immigrants.
Kaplan didn’t mince words. In his ruling, he reminded the administration exactly what this money is for. “3,000 people died within sight of this courthouse,” he wrote, referring to the September 11th attacks. That attack, he emphasized, is why this funding exists in the first place.
According to Kaplan, Congress specifically required the Department of Homeland Security to distribute these funds “solely” based on the risk of terrorist attacks — not political disagreements or immigration policies.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the case forward, made it clear just how high the stakes are for the city.
“New Yorkers lived through the worst terrorist attack in our nation’s history, and we know what is at stake here,” James said before the ruling. “Congress created this program after 9/11 to protect millions of daily riders. I am asking the court to act before midnight to stop these funds from vanishing and to ensure that New Yorkers are not put at risk by this administration’s political games.”
Kaplan agreed.
The Trump administration had reportedly been preparing to pull the plug on millions in counterterrorism funding, targeting NYC’s transit system — one of the busiest and most high-profile potential terror targets in the country — all because city officials refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement in certain cases.
But Kaplan’s ruling pulls the emergency brake on that move, with a reminder that playing political hardball with public safety funding isn’t just petty — it can be dangerous.
This case may still evolve in the courts, but for now, New Yorkers can ride a little safer.
