Judge Blocks NYC’s Bid to Swiftly Recover $80.5 Million in FEMA Grant for Housing Illegal Immigrants

The money had been given to the city during the Biden administration to offset the overcrowding of facilities housing illegal immigrants.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem talks briefly with reporters after attending a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 25, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A federal judge on March 5 rejected a bid by New York City to force the Trump administration to immediately return its $80.5 million in grants, which were intended to fund portions of the city’s expenses for housing illegal immigrants.

In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rearden said the city failed to prove irreparable harm and could still recover the money if it succeeds in the lawsuit. The ruling came after a roughly two-hour hearing in Manhattan federal court.