California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island has granted a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Department of Transportation. The decision blocks the imposition of immigration enforcement conditions on grant funding, which Attorney General Bonta and others argue are unlawful.
Attorney General Bonta stated, “President Trump is threatening to withhold critical transportation funds unless states agree to carry out his inhumane and illogical immigration agenda for him. He is treating these funds – funds that go toward improving our roads and keeping our planes in the air – as a bargaining chip.” He further commented, “It’s immoral – and more importantly, illegal. I’m glad to see the District Court agrees, blocking the President’s latest attempt to circumvent the Constitution and coerce state and local governments into doing his bidding while we continue to make our case in court.”
The lawsuit involves a coalition led by Attorney General Bonta, including 20 states alongside attorneys general from Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Maryland. They challenge what they describe as an overreach by the Trump Administration concerning immigration enforcement requirements linked to Department of Transportation grants.
California receives significant grant funding annually from DOT for infrastructure projects like roads, highways, railways, airways, bridges, and transit systems across both urban and rural areas. According to Attorney General Bonta’s statement, these grants have no connection with immigration enforcement.
A copy of the court’s decision can be accessed online.
