Federal Judge Sides with Illinois and 19 Other States in Transportation Funding Dispute Over Immigration Enforcement
A US federal court has ruled against the Trump administration, blocking it from withholding billions of dollars in transportation funding from states that cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts. The ruling came as a significant victory for Illinois and 19 other states, which have been fighting against the administration's attempt to use transportation funds as leverage to pressure them into participating in its nationwide immigration crackdowns.
The decision, issued by Rhode Island District Judge John R. McConnell, found that the Department of Transportation overstepped its authority by imposing arbitrary conditions on states that work with federal authorities on immigration enforcement. The ruling stated that this was a blatant attempt to coerce states into complying with the administration's policies, which critics have described as cruel.
The move is part of a broader pattern of attempts by the Trump administration to use federal funding as leverage over state and local governments that refuse to cooperate with its immigration policies. Just last month, Illinois and other states won another court victory when a federal judge blocked the administration from withholding disaster relief funds from states with "sanctuary laws" in place.
"This is outrageous," said Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who has been leading the fight against the administration's attempts to use transportation funding as leverage. "The billions of dollars appropriated by Congress are essential to states' efforts to keep their residents safe while they travel our roads, railways, and skies. We cannot allow the administration to hold critical funding hostage in order to force us into complying with its immigration policies."
The decision is a significant win for Illinois and other states that have been pushing back against the Trump administration's attempts to use federal funding as leverage over their laws and policies on immigration enforcement.
A US federal court has ruled against the Trump administration, blocking it from withholding billions of dollars in transportation funding from states that cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts. The ruling came as a significant victory for Illinois and 19 other states, which have been fighting against the administration's attempt to use transportation funds as leverage to pressure them into participating in its nationwide immigration crackdowns.
The decision, issued by Rhode Island District Judge John R. McConnell, found that the Department of Transportation overstepped its authority by imposing arbitrary conditions on states that work with federal authorities on immigration enforcement. The ruling stated that this was a blatant attempt to coerce states into complying with the administration's policies, which critics have described as cruel.
The move is part of a broader pattern of attempts by the Trump administration to use federal funding as leverage over state and local governments that refuse to cooperate with its immigration policies. Just last month, Illinois and other states won another court victory when a federal judge blocked the administration from withholding disaster relief funds from states with "sanctuary laws" in place.
"This is outrageous," said Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who has been leading the fight against the administration's attempts to use transportation funding as leverage. "The billions of dollars appropriated by Congress are essential to states' efforts to keep their residents safe while they travel our roads, railways, and skies. We cannot allow the administration to hold critical funding hostage in order to force us into complying with its immigration policies."
The decision is a significant win for Illinois and other states that have been pushing back against the Trump administration's attempts to use federal funding as leverage over their laws and policies on immigration enforcement.
this ruling is like a huge weight has been lifted off those 20 states' shoulders 
they've been fighting so hard for what feels like forever, and it's amazing that the court finally said 'hey, you can't use our transportation funding as leverage to make us do your immigration thing!' 
it's not just about the money, it's about respecting state autonomy and keeping people safe. i'm sending all my virtual hugs to Illinois and those other states 
keep standing up for what's right, even when it's hard! 
This ruling is super important! 
They're already using disaster relief funds as leverage - now they want to play with fire and take away billions from states just because they don't wanna cooperate with their policies? 
It's a clear abuse of power. Glad the judge stood up for Illinois and 19 other states! 
.
.
. Can't we just, like, agree on stuff already? 
. I mean, what's next? The state of Illinois just got a major victory in court, but it's not like they're going to get any credit for it since the Trump admin is already planning its next move. It's all just a game of bureaucratic cat and mouse at this point.
.
.
. And what about all the people who rely on public transport, like students and low-income families? They're already struggling, we shouldn't be making it harder for them 
I'm all for states having control over how they spend their federal funds, you know? It's crazy that the government was trying to pull this fast one on Illinois and other states, holding up billions of dollars in transportation funding just because they didn't want to cooperate with Trump's immigration policies 
.
The fact that states have some wiggle room in how they spend their funds is huge, especially when it comes to things like transportation and public safety.
I'm low-key relieved this happened! Like, can you imagine if the gov was able to just take away funding from states for not following their immigration "rules"? That's super scary for local communities 
.
. And honestly, I'm all about supporting local economies and keeping our roads safe – it's not just about immigration policies, it's about keeping people safe in general 
.
states are already stretched thin trying to take care of everyone on the roads and now they're trying to make them choose between keeping their residents safe or getting funding? no way! this is why we need more oversight and accountability in our government 
. i mean, can't we just focus on getting our roads and trains fixed without having to deal with the politics of it all? like, what's next? are they gonna start withholding funding for schools or hospitals too? 
it's already crazy enough when you have to navigate all the different state laws and regulations. i'm just glad that some common sense was applied here and the judge said nope, you can't use transportation funds as leverage like that 
anyway, i guess it's good that the judge said no to that, 'cause who wants their funding taken away just because of politics?
No seriously though, this is a huge win for states and a major setback for the admin's attempts to exert control over local governments. It's about time someone stood up for states' rights! 
