Chicago sues Trump administration over alleged unlawful restrictions of federal emergency grants

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The city of Chicago filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday over alleged unlawful restriction of federal emergency grants.

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The lawsuit alleges the administration imposed "unlawful conditions" relating to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, or DEI, on grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

"Chicago will not stand by while the federal government weaponizes emergency funding to attack our values," Mayor Brandon Johnson said. "We will fight to ensure our first responders have the tools they need, that our commitment to equity and inclusion remains strong, and that we receive every federal dollar intended for public safety."

The tens of millions in funds mentioned in the lawsuit support the city's emergency response through Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency grants.

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The lawsuit says the new conditions require the city to certify that they do not operate any "programs that advance or promote DEI, DEIA, or discriminatory equity ideology" or face the risk of losing funding.

"The federal government cannot demand that cities dismantle DEI programs in exchange for disaster relief," Corporation Counsel Mary B. Richardson-Lowry said. "We are taking action to ensure that Chicago's emergency response systems remain robust, inclusive, and grounded in constitutional principles."

The lawsuit alleges that the effort to withhold the money is politically motivated. Chicago is one of several Democratic run municipalities taking the federal government to court to make sure they receive money that Congress appropriated.

Mayor Johnson, at a West Side ribbon cutting for an affordable housing project, blasted the Trump administration.

"Well, you know, here's another example of how the president of the United States is attacking the city of Chicago. You know that he has declared war on our city and cities across this country, and this this action is baseless," Johnson said.

At stake are millions of dollars in federal grants that help the Office of Emergency Management and Communication plan and train for major incidents and special events.

The funding also covers personnel and equipment meant to protect high-risk public transportation from acts of terrorism other threats.

Also currently on hold are federal grants that supports the Chicago Police Department's Bureau of Counterterrorism, which played a prominent role in protecting the Democratic National Convention.

Other units could also be hurt if the federal funds aren't released, former First Deputy Superintendent Anthony Riccio said.

"Whether it's narcotics or counterterrorism, our mounted unit here, for example, the horses, the canine, all important parts of policing, are all receiving federal funds. So losing those funds could have a significant impact on public safety," Riccio said.

The lawsuit contends that DHS and FEMA are trying to illegally bully the city into abandoning programs promoting diversity, arguing, "Neither the Constitution nor Congress empowers the Executive to hold federal emergency-management funding hostage to the Administration's political agenda."

"And I'm going to use every single tool that's available to me to ensure that every single dollar that belongs to the people of Chicago that we're able to hold those dollars," Johnson said.

The city is asking the court to declare the federal government's no DEI conditions unlawful and to clear the way for all the emergency grant funding to be sent to Chicago.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois on Monday.

The city of Boston, city and county of Denver, city of Minneapolis, city of New Haven, city of New York, city of Saint Paul, mayor and City Council of Baltimore and Ramsey County, Minnesota also filed the lawsuit.