Attorney General Ellison wins restraining order against second Trump Administration attempt to cut Minnesota homeland security funding

AG Ellison and coalition filed second lawsuit late yesterday to block Trump’s sudden, politically motivated cuts to Minnesotans’ health and safety; latest cuts came days after court permanently blocked Trump Administration from compelling states to enforce Trump’s political agenda in exchange for emergency management funding

Minnesota would lose more than $6.5M if illegal cuts allowed to stand

September 30, 2025 (SAINT PAUL) — Minnesota Attorney General Ellison and a coalition of 12 attorneys general today won a temporary restraining order that blocks the Trump Administration from unlawfully reallocating federal homeland security funding away from Minnesota or any state that refuses to comply with Trump's extreme political agenda. The order came in the context of an emergency lawsuit that Attorney General Ellison and the coalition filed yesterday against sudden, politically motivated cuts to homeland security funding to states. If these illegal cuts were allowed to stand, Minnesota would lose more than $6.5 million, or 44% of the dollars the state was slated to receive.

The Trump Administration's first attempt to deny previously nonpartisan homeland security funding to states that refuse to enact his extreme political agenda ended in failure last week. On September 24, Attorney General Ellison and a group of attorneys general secured a permanent injunction along with a court opinion holding that the administration violated the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act by conditioning all federal funds from FEMA and DHS on states’ agreement to assist the federal government in enforcing federal immigration priorities.

Despite that permanent injunction, on Saturday, September 27 — without any notice or explanation, and just four days before the end of the federal fiscal year — the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency significantly cut funding to certain states, including Minnesota, that are unwilling to divert local and state law enforcement resources away from core public safety services that protect Minnesotans to enforce federal immigration law, which is a federal responsibility. DHS and FEMA reallocated those funds to other states.

In the lawsuit that Attorney General Ellison and the coalition filed yesterday, they argue that the reallocation of funds is unlawful and violates the federal Administrative Procedure Act.

"It’s outrageous and no longer surprising that the Trump Administration is once again playing politics with the safety of Minnesotans, and I’m grateful the court has once against blocked it,” said Attorney General Ellison. “The court has already permanently blocked Trump and his cronies from compelling Minnesota or any state to divert local law enforcement away from investigations, patrols, and community engagement to keep crime down in order to enforce federal immigration priorities instead. Now Trump is flouting that court decision and breaking the law again by cutting significant emergency preparedness funding from our state. I filed another lawsuit to halt this lawless act and protect the safety of Minnesotans. I will keep fighting to make sure Minnesotans get every federal dollar we need and deserve to respond to emergencies and keep our communities safe, regardless of politics.”

Many of the grant programs administered by DHS and FEMA were authorized by Congress in the wake of national emergencies, such as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina, to strengthen the nation’s preparedness for and response to emergencies and major disasters. These grants fund first responders’ salaries, pay for the training they receive, and support the mutual aid networks that allow them to mobilize when tragedy strikes. They also support crucial efforts to prepare for and prevent disasters, such as computer network testing to identify cyberattack vulnerabilities.

For decades, administrations of both parties have operated these programs evenhandedly, supporting all 50 states in their efforts to prepare for and respond to emergencies and threats.

On Saturday, FEMA issued the award notifications for its single largest grant program, the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP), which allocates approximately $1 billion in funds annually for state and municipal efforts to prevent, prepare for and respond to acts of terrorism. FEMA granted only $226 million to the states filing today’s lawsuit. This was a $233 million, or 51%, reduction from the total amount that FEMA had previously stated it would provide to these states. DHS then redistributed to other states the funds that it cut to Minnesota and states that refuse to endanger their residents’ safety by diverting state and local law-enforcement resources for Trump administration priorities.

Joining Attorney General Ellison in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Illinois, New Jersey, California, and Rhode Island, who led the coalition, and the attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, and Washington.