The Trump administration warned Big Apple officials this month that it was ready to reclaim another $106 million in federal funds related to migrant costs — but Mayor Eric Adams vowed Tuesday to fight the feds to keep the money.
In an April 1 letter, a top FEMA official informed the city that the US government was canceling three previously awarded grants totaling $188 million, including approximately $80 million in migrant funding secretly taken back by the White House in February.
Cameron Hamilton, the administrator, stated that retaking the massive haul aligns with the Department of Homeland Security’s crackdown on illegal immigration under President Trump.
“The Department, consistent with President Trump’s direction, is focused on advancing the essential mission of enforcing immigration laws and securing the border,” Hamilton wrote in the letter obtained by The Post on Tuesday.
“Consequently, grant programs that support, or have the potential to support, illegal immigration through funding illegal activities or support illegal aliens that is not consistent with DHS’s enforcement focus do not effectuate the agency’s current practices.”
The federal funding was first appropriated by Congress during Biden’s presidency in response to New York’s migrant crisis, which saw over 230,000 asylum seekers arrive.
Adams called the federal plan “unlawful” and said the city’s law department is “currently determining the best legal recourse to take to ensure that this money remains in New York City, where it was allocated and belongs.”
He added that the federal grants are the “bare minimum New York taxpayers deserve,” and that the funds are intended to reimburse the city for money already spent on migrants.
“As I have repeatedly stated, New York City did not cause this crisis; it was caused by decades of federal inaction and failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform.” However, New Yorkers—and residents of other major cities across the country—have been forced to pay the price,” Adams said in a statement.
“With minimal help from the federal government, our administration has skillfully managed an unprecedented migrant crisis, during which more than 234,000 people have entered our city seeking shelter, costing taxpayers over $7.5 billion in just three years.”
The Democrat’s fiery statement Tuesday comes as critics claim the mayor has been too soft on Trump in the hopes that his now-dismissed criminal case will go away.
The potential legal battle with Trump comes just a week after Adams announced that he was skipping the upcoming Democratic primary and running for re-election as an independent.
Hizzoner has been dogged by allegations that he and Trump’s Department of Justice struck a deal in which federal prosecutors dropped Adams’ corruption charges in exchange for his assistance with the White House’s immigration enforcement efforts.
Both Adams, whose indictment was dismissed by a judge last week, and the Department of Justice have denied any quid pro quo.
Hamilton, the FEMA official, stated that the city has 30 days to contest the termination of the grants.
Federal officials also withdrew $100 million from unspent COVID-19 relief funds last month, prompting the Adams administration to file a declaration supporting a lawsuit against the cuts earlier this month.
