Judge Blocks Trump's Attempt to Tie Transportation Funds to Immigration Cooperation

Court halts Trump policy requiring states to assist ICE in exchange for transportation funds, calling it unconstitutional and coercive.

WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a new policy that would have made state cooperation with federal immigration enforcement a condition for receiving billions in transportation grant funds.

Chief U.S. District Judge John McConnell issued the ruling in response to a lawsuit filed by 20 Democratic-led states, challenging the Department of Transportation’s “Immigration Enforcement Condition” (IEC). The directive, introduced in April by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, sought to require states and local governments to assist federal immigration agents or risk losing infrastructure funding.

McConnell found that the administration’s policy overstepped its legal authority and violated constitutional protections. In a preliminary injunction, the judge barred the federal government from enforcing the requirement, citing its lack of relevance to transportation funding and its coercive impact on state sovereignty.