A federal judge said the government illegally stripped the MTA of nearly $34 million in counterterrorism funding.
The money was earmarked for New York under Transit Security Grant Program
The judge ruled FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security cut the funds because New York is a sanctuary city, calling that move improper and unlawful.
The law requires grants be based solely on security risk, not politics, the judge said. He ordered the agencies to pay the MTA the full amount.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General were set to make an announcement about the restored funds Thursday afternoon.
“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,” James said in a statement.
CBS News New York reached out to the DHS for comment and has not yet heard back.
Last week, Hochul, the MTA and NYPD said the transit system would be left vulnerable to new terror attacks without those dollars, which help pay for the installation of several hundred cameras, two cybersecurity programs and deployments of MTAPD counterterror teams.
“Taking these abilities away from the busiest yet most high threat subway system in the country is a profound mistake,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at the time.
President Trump previously restored $187 million in other counterterror funding for New York.