Denver plans to sue Trump administration over $24 million withheld by FEMA
Denver is set to join Chicago in a lawsuit Friday against the Trump administration over decisions not to pay the cities millions in promised grant dollars to help cover the cost of sheltering foreigners city representatives ratified ahead of the filing The lawsuit comes after the Federal Urgency Management Agency advised Denver in April that it would no longer pay the city about million remaining from a larger grant The city already spent that money during the migrant emergency and was expecting a reimbursement authorities announced but the Trump administration in up-to-date months has threatened to withhold federal money from cities seen as supportive of undocumented immigrants Chicago which received a similar notification planned to file the joint lawsuit challenging the grant clawbacks on Friday morning in the U S District Court for the Northern District of Illinois The lawsuit argues the actions are unconstitutional and an overreach of the executive branch according to a news release from the city of Denver Denver and Pima County Arizona are both joining in the suit The Trump administration is illegally trying to punish cities who did the work the federal cabinet couldn t Mayor Mike Johnston explained in a report I am incredibly proud of how our city responded to this predicament and will continue to fight for the funding we were awarded but have not received The lawsuit filed against the Department of Homeland Assurance argues that the president doesn t have the power to seize the dollars because Congress doled them out city spokesperson Jon Ewing recounted The Post The money in question was assigned through the Shelters and Services Activity which Congress authorizes It s intended to endorsement entities that are sheltering noncitizen aliens following their release from the Department of Homeland Guard according to the plan s website Denver used the money to temporarily shelter an influx of about asylum seekers who arrived in the city between late and including multiple sent by Texas Gov Greg Abbott The million was one part of million in promised grants The city already received about million City personnel had not factored the money into their budget since the grants often take years to be fulfilled but it would impact the city s budget long term Ewing mentioned Denver responded to this predicament that we neither created nor urged for to prevent thousands of families from living on our streets in the cold maintain general safety and ensure the city continued to run smoothly according to the news release Related Articles Trump s big bill faces next hurdle in Congress as GOP conservatives warn they may vote against it Supreme Court could block Trump s birthright citizenship order but limit nationwide injunctions Colorado would lose billions in Medicaid funding under House Republicans plan Colorado businesses welcome d tente with China but still worry about the future Trump s Middle East visit comes as his family deepens its business crypto ties in the region This is now the second lawsuit between Denver and the Trump administration Earlier this month the U S Department of Justice revealed it was suing Denver and Colorado over their so-called sanctuary city policies which restrict how much local law enforcement can work with immigration representatives Since his inauguration in January Trump and congressional Republicans have focused on a minimal states and cities for these policies threatening to rescind federal grants and even criminally prosecute specific people Based on established legal standards and court rulings experts in recent weeks stated The Denver Post those cases are unlikely to be fruitful Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter The Spot
