Indian-American Judge Arun Subramanian halts Trump administration’s $10 billion funding freeze, sparking MAGA backlash and xenophobic attacks.
Indian-American Judge Arun Subramanian Faces Backlash After Halting Trump Funding Freeze (X/ @DefiyantlyFree)
Arun Subramanian, an Indian-American federal judge of the Southern District of New York, has become the latest target of angry MAGA supporters following his ruling that temporarily blocked a major Trump administration policy. The decision prevented the administration from freezing nearly $10 billion in federal funding for child care and social services in five Democratic-led states, highlighting a disturbing trend of xenophobic attacks targeting judges of Indian origin who challenge Trump-era policies.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced a plan to suspend federal funding for California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) justified the freeze by citing alleged fraud, especially in Minnesota’s child care subsidy programs, claiming that Somali immigrant communities had misappropriated millions of dollars.
President Trump framed the funding freeze as part of his “America First” agenda, asserting that taxpayer money was being wasted on “scams.” In response, attorneys general from the affected states filed a lawsuit, arguing that HHS lacked legal authority to suspend the funds and had overstepped Congress’s exclusive power over federal spending.
On Friday, Judge Subramanian issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) halting the freeze for 14 days, citing:
“Good cause” for emergency relief
Likelihood of success on the merits
Risk of irreparable harm to vulnerable families
Public interest in ensuring continuous aid
The ruling did not decide on the fraud allegations themselves but allowed states time to present fuller legal arguments. Subramanian also noted that HHS may have violated statutory timelines for distributing the funds, potentially breaching administrative law.
The ruling immediately sparked a wave of criticism online from MAGA supporters. On platforms like X, Subramanian was called a “Biden appointee” and a “DEI hire”, implying he was chosen because of his ethnicity rather than his qualifications. The attacks soon turned xenophobic, with posts labeling him an “anchor baby” and demanding his deportation to India despite his US citizenship.
Some critics accused him of supporting “Somali scams” and engaging in “judicial insurrection”, while Trump adviser Stephen Miller framed the decision as forcing Americans to “fund infinite refugee daycare scams.”
Arun Subramanian is a United States District Judge serving on the Southern District of New York who just issued an injunction to force the Trump administration to hand over our tax dollars to support fraudulent daycare centers all over the country.
— Insurrection Barbie (@DefiyantlyFree) January 10, 2026
He was appointed by Joe Biden… pic.twitter.com/vJKGvSC3Kd
Born in Pittsburgh in 1979 to Indian immigrant parents, Arun Subramanian became the first South Asian judge appointed to the Southern District of New York in 2022 by President Joe Biden.
Subramanian holds degrees in Computer Science and English from Case Western Reserve University and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School, where he earned James Kent and Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar honors.
He began his career clerking for Judge Dennis Jacobs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Before his appointment, he spent over 15 years as a partner at Susman Godfrey LLP, focusing on commercial and bankruptcy law.
Notably, in October last year, he sentenced hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs to over four years in prison for prostitution-related crimes.
