US President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding from New York City after criticising the omission of Little Italy from a map highlighting the city’s immigrant neighbourhoods.
Trump raised the issue during a White House event marking Columbus Day, arguing that leaving out the historic Italian-American enclave was unacceptable.
The map, which highlights immigrant communities across New York’s five boroughs, included neighbourhoods such as Little Senegal, Little Guyana, Little Haiti and Little Yemen. However, Manhattan’s Little Italy was notably absent.
Trump demanded that city officials correct the omission, linking the dispute to the billions of dollars New York seeks from the federal government.
The president argued that excluding Little Italy effectively erased an important part of the city’s Italian-American heritage.
The controversy first emerged in July, when the map attracted criticism from Italian-American groups and other community representatives.
The guide was developed as part of New York City’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It highlighted 30 immigrant neighbourhoods but was not intended to include every ethnic community across the city.
Little Italy was not the only area missing. Several Irish-American and Jewish neighbourhoods were also excluded, prompting questions about how the communities were selected.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani previously acknowledged that the map was incomplete and said Little Italy would be added in future updates. His administration also noted that the map had originally been created under the previous administration in 2023.
Trump’s latest comments have escalated the dispute by tying the issue to federal funding, amid broader tensions between his administration and Democratic-led New York.
There has been no confirmation that federal funding has actually been withheld over the map.
Little Italy remains one of Manhattan’s best-known historic neighbourhoods, with a strong Italian-American identity reflected in its restaurants, businesses, churches and annual Feast of San Gennaro.
The row has reignited debate over how New York recognises the immigrant communities that helped shape the city.
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