Love it or hate it, Democrats are better at organizing than Republicans. And now they’ve cooked up something big.
Because twenty states teamed up to hand the Trump admin a huge lawsuit.
States Challenge Trump’s Funding Threats Over Immigration Policy
A coalition of 20 Democratic-leaning states has launched a legal offensive against the Trump administration, contesting its threats to cut federal funding from jurisdictions that resist its immigration enforcement policies.
The lawsuits, filed in Rhode Island, reflect a bold stand against what the states call an overreach of executive power, while the Trump administration argues it’s taking necessary steps to ensure compliance with federal law.
Last month, President Donald Trump signed executive orders instructing federal agencies to identify “sanctuary cities” that fail to align with his immigration agenda. The orders warn that noncompliant states or cities “may lose federal funding,” a move the administration defends as critical to upholding national security and immigration laws.
The coalition, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, contends that this approach is both unconstitutional and a misuse of federal authority.
California Leads Legal Pushback
Bonta, spearheading the effort, filed two lawsuits challenging the executive orders.
“Let’s be clear about what’s happening here: The President is threatening to yank funds to improve our roads, keep our planes in the air, prepare for emergencies, and protect against terrorist attacks if states do not fall in line with his demands. He’s treating these funds, which have nothing to do with immigration enforcement and everything to do with the safety of our communities, as a bargaining chip,” Bonta said in a statement.
He argued that Trump lacks “the authority to unlawfully coerce state and local governments into using their resources for federal immigration enforcement — and his latest attempt to bully them into doing so is blatantly illegal.”
The first lawsuit targets the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Kristi Noem, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, asserting that the administration’s funding conditions violate the Constitution, as Congress has already allocated the funds for specific purposes.
The second lawsuit, directed at the Department of Transportation and Secretary Sean Duffy, makes a parallel case, focusing on the potential loss of funding for vital infrastructure projects. The Trump administration, however, views these measures as essential to compel cooperation from states that, in its view, undermine federal immigration efforts.
Broader Implications for State Autonomy
The coalition, which includes California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, frames the lawsuits as a defense against encroaching federal overreach. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha stated, “We are experiencing creeping authoritarianism in this country, and as a people we must continue to resist.”
He added, “Using the safety of Americans as collateral, the Trump Administration is once again illegally subverting the Congress, bullying the states to relinquish their right, ensured by the Constitution, to enact policies and laws that best serve their residents.”
While most coalition states have Democratic governors and attorneys general, Nevada and Vermont, with Republican governors, also joined, signaling broader concerns about federal overreach.
Supporters of Trump’s policies argue that the administration is rightfully prioritizing national security and public safety by holding sanctuary jurisdictions accountable, ensuring that federal resources support communities that uphold the rule of law.
