A federal judge has slammed the brakes on an aggressive move by the Trump administration that sought to fuse immigration enforcement with state-level transportation dollars.
In a sharp rebuke delivered from the bench in Rhode Island, Chief U.S. District Judge John McConnell ruled that the Department of Transportation had overstepped its legal bounds by threatening to strip funding from 20 Democratic-led states unless they cooperated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). His decision blocks the administration’s attempt to use infrastructure grants as leverage to advance its immigration crackdown.
“Congress didn’t give the Transportation Secretary the green light to play immigration cop,” McConnell wrote, dismantling the legal logic behind the move. His ruling makes it clear: money earmarked for bridges and highways can’t be rerouted into a political pressure campaign.
The states, backed by a coalition of cities and municipalities, filed suit after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned they risked losing billions in funding unless they aligned with federal immigration enforcement priorities — including participation in ICE operations.
This legal firefight is the latest chapter in Trump’s renewed war on so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions.” Since retaking office in January, Trump has revived familiar playbooks: sweeping executive orders, vows of mass deportations, and renewed threats to choke off funding to cities and states unwilling to bend to federal immigration dictates.
Sanctuary jurisdictions typically restrict local police from engaging in federal immigration arrests, arguing such policies preserve community trust and prevent overreach.
California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta welcomed the ruling as a necessary firewall against federal coercion. “These aren’t poker chips for political games. These are funds that fix roads, inspect runways, and save lives,” Bonta said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a nearly identical lawsuit is making its way through the same federal court, this time targeting similar conditions imposed by the Department of Homeland Security on its own grant programs. The legal saga isn’t over — but for now, the roadblock is firmly in place.
