Attorney General James and Governor Hochul Win Case Protecting More Than $33 Million in MTA Anti-Terrorism Funds

October 16, 2025

NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Hochul today released the following statement after the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ordered the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to award $33,898,500 in critical anti-terrorism funding owed to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) that DHS had tried to block:

"This ruling protecting critical counterterrorism funding is a victory for every New Yorker who rides our subways, buses, and commuter rails. A court has once again affirmed that this administration cannot punish New York by arbitrarily wiping out critical security resources and defunding law enforcement that keeps riders safe. We will always fight to ensure that New York gets the resources we need to support our law enforcement and keep people safe."

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 issued a final decision in the case restoring the funds for New York.