Attorney General James Wins Court Order Blocking Illegal Transportation Funding Conditions

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement after a judge blocked the U.S. Department of Transportation’s attempt to unlawfully condition billions of dollars in transportation funding on state cooperation with federal immigration enforcement:

“This is a major win for New York and every state fighting to protect our immigrant communities. This decision to block these unlawful conditions makes clear that states cannot be forced to choose between keeping their residents safe and carrying out a cruel and dangerous immigration agenda. With this ruling, we are one step closer to ensuring our roads, airports, and transit systems get the support they need without illegal strings attached.”

Attorney General James and 19 other attorneys general sued to stop the funding conditions on May 13, arguing that tying federal transportation funds to immigration enforcement violates the constitutional separation of powers. Now, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island has granted the coalition’s request for a preliminary injunction and prohibited the administration from withholding critical transportation funding from states based on immigration policy.