California Initiates Legal Action Against Federal Policy Linking Transportation Funds to Immigration Enforcement
In a fiery showdown, California Attorney General Rob Bonta hit back at the Trump administration by filing two lawsuits challenging a policy that could potentially deprive the Golden State of billions in transportation funds. The beef? The administration's demand that California aligns with their immigration enforcement tactics to receive the grants.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, though, argued that California and other suing states are ignoring federal law and putting illegal immigrants' needs before their citizens.
Washington D.C. - The drama unfolded on Tuesday as Bonta threw his legal weight behind a coalition of 20 states in a lawsuit filed against the Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security in U.S. district court in Rhode Island.
Bonta, during a call with reporters, bluntly labeled the move as a "blatantly illegal attempt to bully states into enacting Trump's inhumane and illogical immigration agenda." He warned that cutting transportation funds would lead to increased accidents and fatalities on the roads, in the air, and on the rails.
The coalition argues that the Trump administration's move exceeds their legal authority and jeopardizes billions of dollars in grants, including funds for road maintenance, transit systems, and homeland security. The 20 states at stake, apart from California, include Illinois, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, among others.
Asst. DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, however, insisted that cities and states should prioritize the safety of American people over criminal illegal aliens. She vowed that the Trump administration would continue to "restore the rule of law", with or without the lawsuits.
In a statement, DOT Secretary Sean Duffy claimed the move was a "common-sense step" that reflected the American people's priorities. He argued that the states were challenging the terms of their grant agreements because they wanted to flout federal law while catering to the needs of illegal immigrants.
California's pioneering sanctuary law, the California Values Act, was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown in 2017, limiting collaboration between local law enforcement and immigration agents. The law has faced numerous challenges, with one ongoing lawsuit over public safety grants.
During his first term, Trump signed an executive order aiming to identify and possibly cut federal funds to sanctuary cities and states that limit cooperation between local law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The question of whether the federal government can withhold grants to punish sanctuary jurisdictions was left unanswered by the Supreme Court after President Biden took office and previous lawsuits were dismissed.
With California having received more than $15.7 billion in transportation grants annually and $20.6 billion in homeland security grants, the policy could hit the states hard, potentially impacting road improvements, air travel, emergency preparedness, and anti-terrorism efforts.
In a press briefing announcing the lawsuits, Bonta stated that California has now sued the Trump administration 22 times. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, meanwhile, criticized the Trump administration's move as detrimental to his state's safety and trust between local police and immigrant communities. He shared an example of immigration agents trying to deport a victim of domestic violence who was stabbed in the neck.
Platkin also pointed out that DOT Secretary Sean Duffy planned to reduce flights in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport due to equipment failures. "His solution, apparently, is to cut billions of funding from transportation to our state unless we agree to assist in deporting victims of domestic violence," Platkin added.
In the world of politics, initiatives like the California Values Act are not uncommon. They often serve as a means for states to establish their own policies, aiming to "Trump-proof" key areas, as in this case, immigration. As the legal battle between California and the Trump administration unfolds, it remains to be seen whether the state's strategies will withstand the administration's challenges.
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta, in a heated response, filed lawsuits against the Trump administration's policy that could potentially strip California of billions in transportation funds, as the policy demands alignment with the administration's immigration enforcement tactics.
- Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, however, argued that California and other suing states are ignoring federal law and prioritizing the needs of illegal immigrants over their citizens.
- The Trump administration's move to withhold transportation funds has been challenged by a coalition of 20 states, including California, Illinois, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, asserting that it exceeds their legal authority and jeopardizes billions of dollars in grants.
- Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin maintained that cities and states should prioritize the safety of American people over criminal illegal aliens, promising that the Trump administration would continue to "restore the rule of law."
- The California Values Act, a sanctuary law signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown in 2017, has faced numerous challenges, including a lawsuit over public safety grants.
- In the political landscape, initiatives like the California Values Act are common, as states establish their own policies aimed at "Trump-proofing" key areas, such as immigration, in the face of legal challenges from the federal government.
