A federal judge has intervened in a contentious immigration policy initiated by President Donald Trump, blocking his administration from coercing states into compliance with federal immigration laws through financial penalties. This move comes as tensions are rising over Trump’s extreme, anti-immigrant agenda that has faced unprecedented legal challenges.
That’s why on June 18, 2025, President Trump could call a press conference. production from his remarks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. In his remarks, he doubled down on his pledge to wage war on immigrants. His administration has taken great strides in the direction of mass deportations, and since taking office he’s signed a slew of executive orders directing increased immigration enforcement.
That was the controversial decision by Trump’s administration. They created new requirements on grant programs that may endanger billions of dollars in transportation funding for states that fail to honor their commitments and adhere to federal immigration law. On April 24, Duffy issued the formal notice to the states. He threatened to strip them of funding if they didn’t help enforce federal law on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The policy sparked immediate pushback and led to a successful lawsuit by 20 Democratic-led states against the Trump administration. The states contended that the administration was illegally trying to use federal funds as leverage to advance its immigration agenda. On September 12, Chief U.S. District Judge John McConnell granted a preliminary injunction against the Department of Transportation’s policy. He thinks the states stand a good chance of prevailing on their claims, on merits, against Trump’s administration.
Trump’s administration did not respond immediately to requests for comment regarding the judge’s ruling. The blocked policy is a familiar pattern. As we’ve noted previously, the president is hard at work on the ground to cut federal dollars to sanctuary jurisdictions that refuse to get on board with his immigration enforcement crackdown.
This decision certainly deals a significant legal blow to Trump’s presidency. Since taking office on January 20, he has not only reversed course—he has aggressively doubled down on this prioritization of immigration policy. The news media The ongoing litigation highlights the fractured and complicated state of executive authority and immigration policy in the US.