New York and New Jersey sued the Trump administration Tuesday for cutting off $16 billion in federal funding for a new rail tunnel project under the Hudson River connecting the two states.

The federal government is accused of “illegally withholding” funding committed to the Gateway project and the two states are seeking emergency relief to force the release of funds frozen by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). 

With construction already underway, the states are seeking a quick ruling because the project could be forced to shut down as early as Friday, potentially eliminating thousands of jobs and saddling the states with significant new operating costs.

The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, comes after the Trump administration froze billions of dollars during the government shutdown last fall tied to the project, as well as funding for the extension of New York City’s Second Avenue Subway.

TRUMP ADMIN SEEKING TO PULL FUNDING FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SLAPPED WITH JUDGE’S PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION

“Donald Trump’s revenge tour on New York threatens to derail one of the most vital infrastructure projects this nation has built in generations, putting thousands of union jobs and billions of dollars in economic benefits in jeopardy and threatening the commutes of 200,000 riders,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement.

She said New York “will fight this illegal effort by the Trump Administration to steal the funding the federal government committed to get the Gateway Tunnel built with everything we’ve got.”

“My message to Donald Trump and Sean Duffy is simple: we’ll see you in court.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and the Department of Transportation for comment.

DEMOCRAT AGS SUE TRUMP FOR ‘UNCONSCIONABLE’ FREEZE ON $6.8B IN K-12 SPENDING

The large-scale project would create new tunnels and rehabilitate an existing Hudson River rail crossing connecting northern New Jersey and New York City.

The overhaul is considered necessary because the existing rail tunnels are more than 115 years old and suffered severe damage from saltwater flooding during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The tunnels carry about 70,000 New Jersey commuters daily, and Amtrak has warned that failure of one tunnel could cut rail traffic into New York City by up to 75%.

The project has been under construction for more than a year, but the Trump administration put a hold on federal funding in September, citing the government shutdown — a move the two states argue is “jeopardizing the economic future of the Northeast region.”

ZOHRAN MAMDANI VOWS TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST TRUMP’S THREAT TO WITHHOLD FEDERAL FUNDING FOR NYC

“Every time the Trump Administration gets involved, costs go up and working people suffer. The illegal attack on the Gateway Tunnel is yet another example,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said in a statement. “New Jersey will not back down from this fight. If this project stops, 1,000 workers will immediately lose their jobs and hundreds of thousands of commuters will lose the chance at finally having reliable train service that makes their lives easier.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James added in a statement posted on X that stopping the Gateway project “would cost thousands of good-paying jobs and put one of the country’s most heavily used transit corridors at risk.”

Jennifer Davenport, New Jersey’s acting attorney general, delivered a blunt message to the Trump administration.

DUFFY THREATENS TO YANK NEW YORK FEDERAL FUNDS OVER ILLEGALLY ISSUED COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S LICENSES

“Our promise to our residents is clear: we will protect them from attacks on their rights and on their pocketbooks, whatever the source,” she said.

“The President’s decision to freeze funding for the Hudson Tunnel Project jeopardizes safe and reliable infrastructure and puts thousands of jobs at risk,” she added. “The Federal Government has left us no choice: we must challenge this illegal action in court, and demand emergency relief that will protect us from these unlawful harms.”

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A separate lawsuit over tunnel funding was filed Monday against the federal government by the Gateway Development Commission, which oversees the project.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

WASHINGTON — One of the brothers of Renee Good, the 37-year-old mother of three who was shot and killed by an immigration agent in Minneapolis, told congressional Democrats on Tuesday that he needed their help.

Luke Ganger said their family had taken some consolation in the thought that his sister’s death might spark a change.

“It has not,” he said.

That is why Ganger and people who had been violently detained by immigration agents gathered to share their experiences with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to ask the government to rein in an agency they described as lawless.

Tuesday’s forum — not an official hearing because Republicans did not agree to it — was led by Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. It was held not in the Capitol, but a nearby Senate office building.

Garcia and Blumenthal convened the forum to gather testimony “on the violent tactics and disproportionate use of force by agents of the Department of Homeland Security.”

All of the incidents referenced in the forum were captured on video.

Democrats heard from three U.S. citizens who are residents of San Bernardino, Chicago and Minneapolis. Also present were Good’s two brothers and an attorney representing their family.

Good’s killing on Jan. 7 has led to a wave of national protests, further inflamed after agents fatally shot ICU nurse Alex Pretti, 37, two weeks later. Protesters have called on federal agents to stop using violence in pursuit of the Trump administration’s mass deportation effort.

“Let’s be very clear: these stories are not just about Minneapolis,” Blumenthal said. “These stories span the country.”

Blumenthal called for a “complete overhaul, a rebuilding” of the Department of Homeland Security and its sub-agencies. Such an overhaul, he said, would require body-worn cameras and that officers wear identification and undergo rigorous use-of-force training. In addition, acts of violence would require full investigations under the supervision of an independent monitor. Without those reforms, he said he wouldn’t support more funding for DHS.

Ganger said the “surreal scenes” taking place in Minneapolis and beyond are not isolated and are changing many lives.

“The deep distress our family feels because of Renee’s loss in such a violent and unnecessary way is complicated by feelings of disbelief, distress and desperation for change,” he said.

Ganger said his family is “a very American blend” that votes differently and rarely agrees fully on the details of what it means to be a citizen of the U.S. Despite those differences, he said, they have always treated each other with love and respect.

“We’ve gotten even closer during this very divided time in our country,” he said. “We hope that our family can be even a small example to others not to let political ideals divide us.”

The panel heard from Martin Daniel Rascon, 23, of San Bernardino, and three others who described harrowing experiences with immigration agents. Rascon was in a truck with two family members last August when they were stopped by more than a dozen federal agents who pointed rifles at them and shot at the car multiple times.

Francisco Longoria, the man driving the truck, was later arrested and charged by federal authorities, who alleged he had assaulted immigration officers with his truck during the incident. Longoria’s attorneys said he drove off because he feared for his safety. The charges were dropped a month later.

Describing the moment the unidentified men shattered the truck’s windows and punched Longoria in the face, Rascon said: “In that moment, the whole world felt like it was the size of the inside of our pickup, and we were sitting in harm’s way with nothing to do but record it.”

Rascon, who cried while giving his testimony, said federal agents returned to his home at 4 a.m. two weeks later, broke the locks and pointed a gun at his then-pregnant fiancee. He said the incidents left him feeling unsafe everywhere, even at home.

Marimar Martinez, 30, of Chicago, was shot five times by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent and then charged with assaulting the agent who shot her. Those charges were also later dropped.

Martinez testified that she was on her way to drop off a bag of clothing for donation to her local church when she noticed an SUV with federal immigration agents. She began following the vehicle for the next 20 or so minutes while shouting out “la migra!” to warn immigrant neighbors of their presence.

Eventually, the vehicle with federal agents side-swiped Martinez’s car. She said an agent got out and pointed his gun at her, then she looked down and noticed blood gushing from her arms and legs. She pulled into a mechanic shop and called 911. After her release from a hospital, Martinez saw on the news that she was being called a domestic terrorist.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) told Martinez he was angry on her behalf. “Tell me, what do you want this government to do to apologize to you?” he said.

“Just a sorry, you’re not a domestic terrorist,” she replied. “That’s it. …For them to admit that they were wrong [about] everything that they said about me. I just want accountability.”

Aliya Rahman, of Minneapolis, was dragged from her car on the way to a doctor’s appointment and detained by ICE agents after telling them she has a disability. Rahman has autism and is recovering from a traumatic brain injury.

DHS said Rahman was arrested because she ignored multiple commands. Rahman said it takes time for her to understand auditory commands.

Rahman said agents yelled threats and conflicting instructions that she couldn’t process while watching for pedestrians. As she hit the ground face-first, she said, she felt shooting pain as agents leaned on her back. She thought of George Floyd, who was killed four blocks away.

Rahman said she was never told she was under arrest or charged with a crime. The agents taking her to the federal Whipple Building referred to detainees as “bodies.” She said she received no medical screening, phone call or access to a lawyer, and was denied a communication navigator when her speech began to slur.

Eventually, she became unable to speak.

“The last sounds I remember before I blacked out on the cell floor were my cellmate banging on the door, pleading for a medic and a voice outside saying, ‘We don’t want to step on ICE’s toes,’ ” she said.

Rahman said she later woke up at a hospital, where doctors told her she had suffered a concussion.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach) speaks during a public forum on violent use of force by Department of Homeland Security personnel.

(Win McNamee / Getty Images)

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Garcia called the forum a move toward accountability because Congress has the right to step in when constitutional rights are violated. He said Democrats have tracked at least 186 incidents of problematic uses of force by federal immigration agents.

Antonio Romanucci, the attorney representing Good’s family and who also represented the family of George Floyd, said that while he has handled excessive force cases for decades, “this is an unprecedented and deeply unsettling time.” Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020.

“The occupation by ICE and CBP in our cities is way beyond their mission, leading to unnecessary provocation that causes needless harm and death,” he said. “These operations in multiple states have routinely and consistently included violations of the Constitution.”

The current path to hold federal officers accountable is narrow, he said. Congress could pass legislation to add language making it easier for people to file civil lawsuits in cases such as Good’s.

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) questioned why the hearing was made up only of Democrats. He said Republicans can’t be let off the hook.

“Under normal circumstances — regardless of who’s in the majority — when tragedies like this happen congressional committees convene to conduct our job to provide that oversight,” he said. “But our Republican colleagues refused to.”