California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that the U.S. Department of Justice has filed a motion to dismiss its appeal of a final judgment that permanently blocks the Trump Administration from imposing immigration enforcement requirements on federal transportation grants. This action, pending court approval, resolves the case in favor of California and 21 other states that challenged the administration’s efforts.
“The Trump Administration attempted to use vital transportation dollars as a bargaining chip for its political agenda,” said Attorney General Bonta. “That is why my fellow attorneys general and I stepped in to stop these illegal actions – winning a permanent injunction in the lower court. I am pleased that the Trump Administration has accepted defeat and agreed to drop its appeal of this decision. California is not playing games when it comes to vital transportation dollars that support our public infrastructure, and we will continue taking the President to court each time he weaponizes federal funding to bully our communities.”
California receives significant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation for building and maintaining roads, highways, airways, and bridges. These funds are used for various purposes including preventing traffic accidents, supporting transit for seniors and people with disabilities, and repairing infrastructure after environmental disasters such as fires or floods. The criteria for these grants are not connected to immigration enforcement.
The Constitution assigns Congress—not the President—the authority over federal spending decisions. Congress has established laws guaranteeing transportation funding for states like California through taxes paid by residents. Despite these legal constraints, the Trump Administration sought to impose new conditions on transportation grants, which courts found exceeded executive authority.
On November 4, 2025, a district court ruled in favor of California and other states challenging these conditions, issuing an order that permanently blocked their imposition across all Department of Transportation grants. The court stated that the administration had “blatantly overstepped their statutory authority, violated the APA, and transgressed well-settled constitutional limitations on federal funding conditions. The Constitutions demands the Court set aside this lawless behavior.”
The California Attorney General’s office serves as the state’s chief law enforcement authority within the California Department of Justice, providing legal representation, consumer protections, civil rights enforcement, criminal investigations, forensic support services, and advancing policies related to civil rights and environmental justice statewide. Led by Rob Bonta (official website), it operates across California as part of the executive branch since its founding in 1850.