Federal judge blocks White House’s reductions of homeland security funding to states

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce federal homeland security funding, including for disasters, for states that do not comply with immigration enforcement policies.

US district judge Mary McElroy of Rhode Island, a 2018 Trump appointee, ruled on Monday that the latest case was “another example” of the Trump administration tying state and local government assistance to its immigration crackdown.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) cut more than $230m in federal grants for Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and the District of Columbia. The grants were a part of $1b in annual funds given to states and local governments for counter-terrorism efforts.

In a scathing 48-page written decision, McElroy wrote: “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.”

She added: “While the intricacies of administrative law and the terms and conditions on federal grants may seem abstract to some, the funding at issue here supports vital counterterrorism and law enforcement programs.”

McElroy’s ruling specifically cited the Brown University mass shooting, in which a gunman killed two people and injured nine others, as an example of how federal grant money was likely used to aid law enforcement response.

“To hold hostage funding for programs like these based solely on what appear to be Defendants’ political whims is unconscionable and, at least here, unlawful,” wrote McElroy.

A coalition of 12 attorney generals from affected states who sued in response to cuts called McElroy’s decision a significant win.

“Law enforcement and local leaders throughout New York depend on these funds to keep New Yorkers safe,” said the New York attorney general, Letitia James, in a statement following McElroy’s decision. “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.”

The Department of Homeland Security has indicated it would appeal against the latest decision, Axios reported.

The Associated Press contributed reporting