New York
When It Comes to D.E.I. and ICE, Trump Is Using Federal Grants as Leverage
During President Trump’s first months in office, officials in his administration have used the threat of withholding federal funding to bend institutions and municipalities to their ideological will.
That strategy shows no signs of abating.
The Department of Homeland Security is reviewing billions of dollars in grants for cities and states to make sure recipients comply with Mr. Trump’s priorities on immigration enforcement and diversity programs.
Now grant beneficiaries must “honor requests for cooperation, such as participation in joint operations, sharing of information or requests for short-term detention of an alien pursuant to a valid detainer,” according to the terms and conditions for grants distributed by the department.
The terms and conditions, which were first released last October and quietly updated in late March, also mandate that those who receive grants “will provide access to detainees, such as when an immigration officer seeks to interview a person who might be a removable alien.”
“I see it as the beginning of the reshaping of our national emergency management infrastructure,” said Mark Ghilarducci, who previously served as California’s state emergency services director. “Now it will be based upon ideology versus what is the actual need.”
The changes likely imperil tens of billions of dollars in grants to states and cities that have rules limiting cooperation with officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he said.
The review of the federal grants is the latest reminder that Mr. Trump does not view federal funding to bolster police departments or help communities recover from disasters as support that comes without strings attached. Instead, he uses federal grants as leverage against state and local governments to ensure compliance with his political agenda.
One criterion is whether certain locales are sanctuary jurisdictions, which broadly refers to cities and counties that block their local jails from cooperating with federal immigration officials.
ICE prefers to pick up undocumented immigrants from local lockups, but in order to do so, it needs collaboration from county sheriffs. In some cities and counties, this collaboration is outright blocked or severely limited.
Peter Gaynor, who served as FEMA administrator and briefly as acting U.S. secretary of homeland security during Mr. Trump’s first term, saw these changes as in line with the priorities the president has set out.
“This is the way they are going to operate,” Mr. Gaynor said. “The administration is going to, from time to time, check you to make sure that you’re compliant with the federal grant guidance.”
“You don’t have to accept the money,” he added. “You can decline the money. I think that’s part of the formula here.”
California and some of its cities and counties have laws against cooperating with ICE. Now local governments and community organizations are at risk of losing billions of dollars because of the change in D.H.S. policy, said Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom.
The department normally provides grants that support a variety of public safety services, including police, fire and emergency response as well as programs to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault.
“These are grants that are critical to prepare for the next disaster and help keep communities safe,” Mr. Ferguson said.
It is unknown exactly how much money is at risk in California or which cities, counties or community groups may lose grants, he said.
“Like much of the work that’s happening at the federal level, we’re working to understand what exactly it means on an implementation level,” Mr. Ferguson said.
Officials in New York and other states expressed similar fears and uncertainty. The office of Attorney General Letitia James of New York was aware of the updated guidance and reviewing it. Like in California, billions of dollars in grants could be on the chopping block.
Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency have already identified nearly $1 billion in funding they think should be cut and another almost $4 billion that is being reviewed, according to a memo reviewed by The New York Times.
Some funding — like $80 million from FEMA to New York City for migrant shelters — was clawed back this winter. The money for these beds came from FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program. Now federal officials want to cancel about $887 million in grants from that program.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said that the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, “has directed FEMA to implement additional controls to ensure that all grant money going out is consistent with law and does not go to fraud, waste or abuse.”
“The open borders gravy train is over, and there will not be a single penny spent that goes against the interest and safety of the American people,” Ms. McLaughlin added.
Another program under review involves nearly $2 billion in grants to law enforcement agencies, cities and states to help themselves prepare and respond to terrorist attacks. In the fiscal year ending in October, entities in New York received close to $320 million from this program.
Avi Small, the press secretary for Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, pointed out in a statement that “the federal government has issued multiple orders, directives and guidance that were later overturned in court or rescinded by the administration.”
“We have received this guidance, which could have significant fiscal impacts for disaster relief and other critical state functions, and are assessing our options moving forward,” he added.
Last week, the New York State Education Department said it would not go along with the Trump administration’s threats to pull federal funding from public schools over certain diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The updated terms and conditions from D.H.S. for grantees includes new requirements in this area as well.
During Mr. Trump’s first term, his administration fought in court to withhold millions of dollars from law enforcement agencies in states and cities that did not cooperate with his immigration agenda. A federal judge ultimately overturned the executive order issued by Mr. Trump that withheld federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions.
After wildfires erupted in California in 2018, Mr. Trump said on social media that he had ordered FEMA to “send no more money” unless the state changed its approach to forest management.
Mr. Trump has threatened on multiple occasions to withhold money from California, including earlier this year as parts of Los Angeles were ravaged by wildfires. He said that he would help but that he first wanted the state to impose voter identification laws and change its environmental policies.
On Friday, Trump officials were admonished by a federal judge for not complying with an order the judge had issued in early March to unfreeze billions in FEMA funds in at least 19 states. The Times reported last month that freezing of funds had caused chaos for state, local and nonprofits officials who were trying to respond to natural disasters.
Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of the Federal District Court in Rhode Island said on Friday that he thought the funding hold was a “covert” means to punish places with laws that prohibit cooperation with immigration officials.
“Trump has declared war against the American economy and our allies around the world,” said Jason Elliott, who previously served as Mr. Newsom’s deputy chief of staff. “Now American states, with millions of people who voted for him, are the target of his war against common sense.
“His funding threats against states, for nothing but political purposes, will directly harm millions of red voters in those purple and blue states.”
Laurel Rosenhall contributed reporting from Sacramento.
New York
Video: Historic Brooklyn Church Destroyed in Fire
new video loaded: Historic Brooklyn Church Destroyed in Fire
By Meg Felling
June 22, 2026
New York
How a Security Guard Lives on $46,000 a Year in the East Bronx
How can people possibly afford to live in one of the most expensive cities on the planet? It’s a question New Yorkers hear a lot, often delivered with a mix of awe, pity and confusion.
We surveyed hundreds of New Yorkers about how they spend, splurge and save. We found that many people — rich, poor or somewhere in between — live life as a series of small calculations that add up to one big question: What makes living in New York worth it?
Maruf Abubakari Sadick left Ghana for New York in April 2023, confident he was prepared for chilly weather.
When he arrived that morning, the temperatures were in the 50s. He might as well have arrived during a snowstorm.
“‘It’s really cold,’” he told his brother, who laughed and reminded him it wasn’t even winter. His brother brought him a warm jacket, sparking a love affair with outerwear, as well as clothes and colognes.
Three years later, these are the little luxuries on which Mr. Sadick splurges when he is not working two jobs as a security officer in the city.
“I really like to look good, and I like to smell good,” Mr. Sadick, 37, said. “I just tell myself ‘I work too hard. It’s self care.’”
Together, his security jobs bring in close to $46,000 a year, which pays for rent, remittances to his family in Ghana, Wi-Fi, his phone bill and groceries. At the end of the month, he squirrels away what he can so he can one day pay for nursing school.
His rent is $700 a month, which affords him a room in a four-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in the East Bronx that he shares with two other men and one woman.
“Funny enough, we don’t have a schedule for the bathroom,” Mr. Sadick said. “It’s not easy.”
He buys a 30-pound bag of rice for $30 from the nearby bodega that lasts him about three months and a 40-pack of Poland Spring water for $20 so he can bring a bottle to work.
The housemates often share food, usually fish stews and okra soups that Mr. Sadick pours into a thermos, along with the rice, which he then takes to work. It helps him avoid paying for takeout which can cost more than $20.
Mr. Sadick said he learned quickly that to survive in New York, you need to share.
Two Jobs, Little Sleep
Mr. Sadick makes $17 an hour at both jobs, earning the current minimum wage in the city. By next year, he could be making at least $22.20 an hour, with two weeks of paid vacation and paid holidays.
The bump in pay is part of the Aland Etienne Safety and Security Act, a city law that Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed shortly after he took office that set a minimum wage for security guards. The law, which also requires employers to contribute to paid time off and health benefits, was named after the security officer who was fatally shot in July 2025 at 345 Park Avenue by a gunman who killed three others before killing himself.
Mr. Sadick did not know Mr. Etienne, but he said his death terrified him and other security officers, who realized how vulnerable they were at work.
The job “seems easy,” he said. “It seems quiet. Then, one moment, it’s all chaos.”
From Tuesday to Friday he works a four to eight-hour shift when he guards a sprawling office complex in Long Island City, Queens.
On weekends, he guards a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in East Harlem from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. When his shift ends, he takes the subway for a 40-minute commute back to the office complex in Queens, where he works 12-hour overnight shifts on Saturday and Sunday.
Three days a week he takes GED classes in the morning, which are free to state residents. Mondays are his one day off, which he uses “to make up for the two days that I don’t sleep,” Mr. Sadick said.
During the summers, when school is not in session, he tries to make some money selling bus tours to tourists around Times Square. On a good day, he will make $250 to $500 in commissions. On bad days, he will spend five hours in the heat with nothing to show for it.
He said he was exhausted, but driven to pursue a career in medicine.
“I like to take care of people,” he said.
Sending Help Home
A big part of Mr. Sadick’s salary goes to his family in Ghana. On average, he will send $500 a month to help pay for his parents’ food, his grandmother’s health aide and his sister’s schooling.
Last month, he sent a $1,200 so that his parents could buy two sheep. He sent the money through Taptap Send, an app that lets people send money to countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America.
The sheep should provide enough meat to last them a couple of months, he said. His brother sent over $2,000 around the same time so that their extended family could buy a bull.
Sending money home is “expected,” Mr. Sadick said, adding that he feels “very good” about being able to help.
“We are brought up in a system where it’s all about family,” he said. “You are brought up to provide.”
Self-Care Is Worth the Splurge
When Mr. Sadick has extra money in his pocket, he will pop into Zara or Macy’s, where he shops for shoes, jackets and button-down shirts.
He has six bottles of cologne. His favorites are Al Rehab Lord Eau De Parfum and Mountain Woody Forest from Zara. The Al Rehab cologne, which sells for $10.95 an ounce on Amazon, is for daytime. He saves the Mountain Woody Forest — $74.99 on Amazon — for special occasions.
He owns 18 pairs of shoes, including red and white Air Jordans that he bought for $200 and a pair of brown, suede boots from Zara that cost $100.
“These are my favorites,” he said, stroking the soft Zara boots. “I look a bit professional in them.”
He is still trying to figure out what he will do when his salary goes up.
Most likely, he said he would keep working both jobs so that he could save more money. But he daydreams about quitting one of them.
It would be nice, Mr. Sadick said, to get more sleep, have time to play soccer and visit art museums.
What he would really like is more time to take long walks.
One of his favorite places to walk is Dumbo, where he worked briefly guarding a construction site and fell in love with the sweeping views of Manhattan and the cool breeze that comes off the water.
A place in Dumbo, he said, would be the ultimate indulgence.
“That would be a dream come true,” Mr. Sadick said. “It’s so nice there.”
We are talking to New Yorkers about how they spend, splurge and save.
New York
Video: Fans Show Up to the Parade in Their Best Knicks-Themed Attire
new video loaded: Fans Show Up to the Parade in Their Best Knicks-Themed Attire
transcript
transcript
Fans Show Up to the Parade in Their Best Knicks-Themed Attire
New York Knicks fans showed up in droves to a ticker-tape parade in Manhattan in their best orange and blue outfits to honor the N.B.A champions.
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“Patrick Ewing. He didn’t get a ring. But I wear your sneakers, bro. When I was in high school, back in the ’90s, Patrick Ewing, John Starks, they were the team that I rooted for in the ’90s. They didn’t make it. So as a tribute to him because this is where I started at being a fan, Patrick Ewing. Knicks hat in denim — I’m a denim fanatic. So I love denim — Knicks hat. And yeah, that’s it.” “This is my style. I usually dress like this every day. But I did a special Knicks edition. It’s all really fun. I start with my makeup. I did really cute flames on my eyes because the Knicks are fire. I don’t really know what I’m going to do before I put it on. I just figure it out along the way. Like, this is a piece of fabric and I just layer in stuff.” “This is from my online boutique and the hat I just bought on the way to the parade because I wanted to match the jumpsuit, and that’s how I came up with the outfit.” “She was ready to go, man.” “Can you show your fingernail?” “She’s been sleeping in her Jalen Brunson jersey for the last 10 weeks. We’ve been watching all the games. You want to tell them who’s your favorite player?” “Jalen Brunson.” “I’m pretty sure this jersey was actually made for a human baby. But they’re selling them around the block. And we threw it on Chester and everyone started clapping. So — he wears it well.” “Blue and orange.” “So I did blue and orange.” “It had to be orange and blue. “Orange and blue. Orange and blue.”
By Meg Felling, Jeremy Raff, Ang Li and David Cheung
June 18, 2026
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