President Trump scored another bold victory for taxpayers earlier this year—this time at the expense of New York City’s reckless sanctuary policies. In one of the most satisfying moments of his second term so far, Trump’s FEMA team clawed back $80 million in misused federal funds that New York City had been funneling into cushy hotel housing for illegal immigrants—a move that has sent progressive officials into a tailspin.
Under Biden’s disastrous open-border policies, leftist cities like New York made it their mission to offer five-star accommodations to migrants entering the country illegally. And who picked up the tab? Hardworking American taxpayers. In New York’s case, that meant using federal FEMA funds — originally meant for emergency disaster relief—to house tens of thousands of migrants in hotels across the city.
But that gravy train came to a screeching halt in February, when President Trump’s FEMA pulled back $59 million from one grant and another $21.5 million in awards, all of which had been quietly flowing into the city’s migrant hotel program.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander absolutely melted down. In a February 12 press release, Lander fumed that FEMA had “illegally executed a revocation” of the funds “without notice.” He claimed the funds had already been spent on “shelter and services,” exposing just how deeply embedded illegal immigration has become in NYC’s budget—and how dependent the city is on other people’s money to fund its far-left agenda.
Calling the move “highway robbery” and “a betrayal,” Lander threw a tantrum that could rival any toddler at a Times Square toy store. He accused Trump of “stealing” from New York, never mind the fact that FEMA was simply reclaiming federal dollars that had been misused on programs meant to reward illegal entry into the United States.
Rather than reflect on how backwards it is to prioritize illegal immigrants over American citizens, Lander threatened legal action—not just against the federal government, but against New York Mayor Eric Adams, should Adams fail to “fight” to get the funds restored. It’s a rare moment when radical Democrats turn on each other, but it underscores how unhinged the Left has become in their obsession with sanctuary policies.
Sure enough, New York City filed a lawsuit on February 21, claiming FEMA’s move was “lawless.” But in March, a federal judge swatted the case down, ruling that the city had shown “no irreparable harm” that would justify emergency intervention.
Translation? No sympathy from the courts. Because there is no irreparable harm in forcing a city to stop blowing taxpayer money on illegal immigration.
This Trump-era win is more than a bureaucratic victory—it’s a signal to sanctuary cities everywhere that the days of endless federal handouts to subsidize illegal immigration are over. America First means just that: putting our citizens, our laws, and our tax dollars first. And President Trump is doing exactly that—one clawback at a time.
