Judge Blocks Trump Immigration Rider on Transportation Grants; Bonta Hails 'Important Constitutional Victory'

A federal judge in Rhode Island has issued a nationwide preliminary injunction halting the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) effort to force states to cooperate with federal immigration authorities as a condition of receiving billions of dollars in transportation aid.

Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. ruled on June 19 that the so-called “Immigration Enforcement Condition” (IEC), added this spring by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, is likely unconstitutional and exceeds the agency’s statutory power. The court found the requirement “wholly unrelated” to Congress’s purpose for highway, transit and aviation grants and therefore in violation of the Spending Clause. The judge also held that the DOT acted “arbitrary and capricious” under the Administrative Procedure Act by imposing the condition without legal authority or reasoned explanation.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who spearheaded the 20-state coalition that sued last month, welcomed the decision.

“President Trump is threatening to withhold critical transportation funds unless states agree to carry out his inhumane and illogical immigration agenda for him,” Bonta said in a statement Friday. “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.”

How the case unfolded

In April, Duffy issued the “Duffy Directive,” compelling every DOT grant applicant to promise cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or risk losing awards. Grant deadlines as early as June 20 left states scrambling. California alone receives roughly $5 billion a year in federal transportation money for highways, rail and urban transit.

The coalition’s complaint argued that tying immigration enforcement to road and transit funding was “arbitrary and capricious” and an unlawful expansion of executive authority. Judge McConnell agreed, finding the plaintiffs “likely to succeed on the merits” because Congress never empowered DOT to conscript state police into immigration duties. He cited the potential for “irreparable harm” if states were forced to choose between surrendering sovereignty or canceling essential infrastructure projects.

What the injunction does

The order:

• Bars DOT from inserting the IEC in new or existing grant agreements.
• Prohibits the department from withholding or clawing back funds over immigration-related non-compliance.
• Keeps all current grant programs operating under their original terms while the lawsuit proceeds.

What happens next

The Justice Department can seek an emergency stay from the First Circuit Court of Appeals, but legal experts note that the judge’s detailed findings on constitutional and statutory grounds will be difficult to overturn quickly. The underlying case will now proceed to full briefing and possible trial; Judge McConnell retained jurisdiction to monitor compliance.

For California transit agencies planning summer construction and municipalities finalizing next year’s budgets, the injunction averts an immediate fiscal shock. “We can keep our projects on track without turning local deputies into ICE agents,” State Transportation Agency Secretary Toks Omishakin said in a brief statement.

Bonta called the ruling “an important step, but not the last,” vowing to press for a permanent nationwide ban on what he described as “ideological ransom demands that endanger our roads and our rights.”