FEMA Funds Freed: Trump’s Immigration Ploy Fails
Federal judge strikes down covert aid freeze targeting sanctuary states.
WASHINGTON—A federal judge has ruled on Friday that the Trump administration must immediately release millions of dollars in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds to at least 19 Democratic-led states, finding that the administration covertly withheld disaster relief money in violation of a prior court order. The decision, handed down Friday by U.S. District Judge John McConnell, marks a significant rebuke of the administration’s efforts to tie federal aid to immigration policies.
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The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by 23 states challenging a funding freeze initiated after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20, 2025, titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasions.” The order, part of Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, appeared to target so-called sanctuary jurisdictions—states and cities with laws limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. McConnell, an Obama appointee, found that FEMA’s actions breached a preliminary injunction he issued in March, which barred the administration from pausing congressionally approved funds.
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