A federal judge says Trump administration can't block state funding over immigration

KOSU By Vanessa Romo

 June 19, 2025

The Trump administration cannot withhold billions of dollars in transportation grant funding from Democratic-led states refusing to cooperate with immigration enforcement, according to a ruling on Thursday.

Chief U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Providence, R.I., granted a preliminary injunction in the case filed by 20 states, saying "large-scale irreparable harm would occur without the preliminary injunction."

The Department of Transportation was unavailable for comment on the ruling late Thursday evening.

The ruling comes ahead of a June 20 grant application deadline for states. Prior to that deadline, Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy imposed conditions on that funding, requiring applications to agree to adhere to an Immigration Enforcement Condition upon submission.

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