A coalition of 20 Democratic-led states is pushing back against President Donald Trump’s latest move to tie federal funding to immigration enforcement. Two lawsuits filed in federal court in Rhode Island aim to block the administration from conditioning transportation and emergency grant funding on state cooperation with federal immigration efforts.
Challenging Immigration Tied to Funding
The legal battle focuses on recent directives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Transportation. According to the lawsuits, the Trump administration is overstepping legal boundaries by making billions in federal grants—earmarked for road maintenance, cybersecurity, and emergency preparedness—contingent upon states’ support for immigration enforcement.
State officials leading the lawsuits argue that the grants have nothing to do with immigration and that the administration is unlawfully coercing them into implementing its strict immigration policies. The core legal claim centers on the Constitution’s Spending Clause, which reserves the power of federal spending decisions to Congress, not the executive branch.
State Attorneys General Push Back
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, spearheading the litigation, denounced the administration’s approach as an illegal attempt to withhold critical public safety funds. He and other officials argue that the Trump administration is leveraging life-saving resources to pressure states into helping carry out its immigration crackdown.
New York Attorney General Letitia James echoed similar concerns, stating that DHS is effectively forcing states to choose between keeping their communities safe or enabling what she described as a chaotic and unlawful immigration agenda.
A Conflict Over Sanctuary Policies
The Trump administration has consistently aimed at so-called sanctuary jurisdictions—cities and states with laws that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Since returning to office, Trump has signed executive orders targeting these jurisdictions, threatening to cut off federal aid unless local law enforcement participates in civil immigration enforcement.
One of the lawsuits explicitly addresses new DHS requirements that tie emergency preparedness and disaster relief grants to state support of federal immigration actions. Another challenge was a letter from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, which warned that transportation funding could be withheld from states that both fail to support immigration enforcement and continue to maintain diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Federal Response and Political Tension
While the Transportation Department has not responded publicly, a Homeland Security spokesperson defended the funding conditions. DHS maintains that jurisdictions that obstruct immigration enforcement should not benefit from federal resources, arguing that national safety should take priority over local sanctuary laws.
This lawsuit is not the first of its kind under the Trump administration. A federal judge has previously blocked attempts to cut funding to sanctuary cities, and the Department of Justice has filed similar lawsuits against states like Illinois, Colorado, and New York.
What’s Next?
The broader question remains as the legal challenges move forward: can the federal government legally require immigration cooperation in exchange for unrelated funding? The courts will likely play a decisive role in shaping how far the administration can go in tying grants to immigration policy. Until then, the dispute underscores the deepening divide between state and federal governments on immigration enforcement—and raises concerns over how far funding leverage can stretch.
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