LA, Chicago, NYC Threat Shedding Federal Transit Funds Over ICE Non-Cooperation
Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York Metropolis face potential lack of billions in federal transportation funding attributable to their sanctuary metropolis insurance policies limiting cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as outlined in a U.S. Division of Transportation (DOT) order issued on January 29, 2025. The Trump administration’s directive, led by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, prioritizes funding for entities that align with federal immigration enforcement, concentrating on cities like these with vital undocumented populations. The DOT memo, obtained by Crain’s New York Enterprise, vaguely requires recipients to help “presidential goals,” together with ICE cooperation, or danger dropping grants and loans.
For New York’s MTA, this threatens crucial tasks just like the $3.4 billion Second Avenue Subway Part 2. Los Angeles, reliant on federal funds for port upgrades ($412 million in 2024 EPA grants), and Chicago, with $22 billion allotted for Amtrak by 2026, might see infrastructure and transit programs crippled. California’s 2018 sanctuary legislation and native ordinances in Chicago and NYC prohibit metropolis sources from aiding ICE, sparking authorized battles. A federal decide quickly blocked a broader funding freeze on January 28, 2025, however the DOT’s particular menace persists.
The coverage follows Trump’s June 16, 2025, order for mass deportations in these cities, escalating tensions after ICE raids sparked violent protests, with 197 arrests in LA alone. Critics, together with LA Mayor Karen Bass and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, name the raids “divisive,” whereas Duffy insists non-compliant cities “gained’t get a purple cent.” Authorized consultants query the order’s legality, citing previous Supreme Court docket rulings towards coercive funding cuts.
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