Elected officials in Queens have described President Donald Trump\u2019s recent threats to withhold federal funding to any state housing sanctuary cities as an \u201cauthoritarian attempt\u201d to punish areas that protect immigrant communities.<\/p>\n
Trump on Jan. 14 announced that he would deny federal funds to any states that are home to local governments with sanctuary city policies starting Feb. 1, referring to cities that do not collaborate with federal immigration authorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cEffective February first, no more payments will be made by the federal government to states for their corrupt criminal protection centers known as sanctuary cities,\u201d Trump wrote in a social media post Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The move marks an expansion of Trump\u2019s previous threats to cut off federal funding to sanctuary cities that resisted his administration\u2019s immigration policies. In August, a federal judge blocked Trump from denying funding to over 30 cities, including Boston and Los Angeles, due to their policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration officers.<\/p>\n
Gov. Kathy Hochul, meanwhile, has vowed to sue the Trump Administration over the latest move, describing the threat as an effort to \u201cintimidate\u201d states like New York to \u201cbow in submission.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, on the other hand, told reporters that he has texted Trump to express his concerns about the impact that federal funding cuts could have on his affordability agenda. The city\u2019s budget relies on $7.4 billion in federal funding, according to the State Comptroller\u2019s office, which is mainly allocated toward social services, housing and education.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny cut in funding would have a significant impact on the city\u2019s ability to not only fulfill the budget that it has today, but also to fulfill an agenda that would ensure that more New Yorkers can afford to stay in the city,\u201d Mamdani told reporters on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said the state received an estimated $96.7 billion in federal funding for the fiscal year 2024\/25.\n<\/p>\n
A number of Queens representatives in the state legislature strongly criticized Trump over the threats, with several lawmakers vowing to fight the Trump in court.\n<\/p>\n
Assembly Member Catalina Cruz, a former undocumented immigrant who was born in Colombia, described Trump\u2019s threats to withhold funding as \u201cpolitical retalition and punishment.\u201d She said York\u2019s sanctuary city policies help to keep communities safe. New York\u2019s sanctuary city policies which limit local cooperation with immigration authorities in order to ensure that immigrant populations can access essential services.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew York has been clear from the start: our policies are about keeping communities safe, utilizing our resources to serve our neighbors, and not taking on the federal government\u2019s responsibilities,\u201d Cruz said in a statement. \u201cCourts have repeatedly rejected these attempts to strong-arm cities and states. We\u2019ve fought this before, and we fully expect New York to fight back again in court to defend our communities and uphold our values.\u201d<\/p>\n
State Sen. John Liu similarly vowed to fight against the move in court, adding withholding federal funds would devastate the local economy.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThreatening to withhold funding to cities that dare to care for our immigrant communities is an authoritarian attempt to punish those who choose basic humanity over fearmongering,\u201d Liu said. \u201cDoing so would devastate our local economy and the countless community-based organizations that provide programs and services to New Yorkers from all backgrounds.\u201d<\/p>\n