The Trump administration swiftly acted on its commitment to reclaim federal funds initially allocated to assist New York City with migrant housing costs. This action involved the abrupt reversal of an $80 million transfer that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had made to the city just a week prior.

On Wednesday morning, the comptroller’s office detected that $80 million was absent from the city’s bank accounts. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees FEMA, later confirmed that the funds had indeed been retracting, marking a notable intensification of President Trump’s efforts to halt or retract funds that had previously been authorized by Congress.

“I have successfully reclaimed the full payment that FEMA officials indiscriminately provided to New York City’s migrant hotel program,” stated Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, on X. “Rest assured, there will not be a single dollar spent that undermines the interests and safety of the American populace.”

Noem further alleged that the city was misusing FEMA funds to cover the cost of operating the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan as a shelter for migrants, asserting that the hotel had become a “hub of activity” for Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang.

Liz Garcia, spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, revealed that City Hall had reached out to the White House and requested an urgent meeting with FEMA to “swiftly address this issue.”

She further indicated that an “internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding this matter” was underway, and the city’s Law Department was already “considering various legal options.”