A federal judge has ruled that the government cannot condition disaster relief funding on states’ cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, declaring the practice unconstitutional.
New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a statement Thursday after the ruling, saying, “The federal government cannot prioritize its cruel immigration agenda over Americans’ safety. Today, the court affirmed that it is blatantly unconstitutional for DHS to hold life-saving disaster relief funds hostage to advance its anti-immigration efforts.”
James and attorneys general from 19 other states filed suit in May against the Department of Homeland Security. They argued the administration’s policy threatened to withhold funding for emergency management and disaster response from states that declined to participate in federal immigration enforcement.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted the states’ request for summary judgment, finding the policy violated the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution’s Spending Clause.
