Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Immigration Conditions On Police Grants; New Jersey Wins Court Fight
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A federal judge has permanently blocked the Trump administration from tying public-safety grants to immigration-enforcement demands, handing New Jersey and a multistate coalition a court victory, Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced Wednesday.
Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island declared the conditions unlawful and barred their implementation or enforcement, according to the Attorney General’s Office. New Jersey co-led the coalition of 23 states challenging the requirements.
The ruling concerns grants intended to protect law enforcement officers and fight crime, including the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program, known as Byrne JAG. The program is a major source of federal criminal-justice funding for state and local governments.
Davenport said the threatened funding helps pay for protective equipment for officers, drug-trafficking investigations, Megan’s Law enforcement and efforts to find violent criminals.
“Today’s victory in court makes clear that the federal government cannot unlawfully politicize law enforcement and public safety by threatening our access to critical funding,” Davenport said.
The dispute follows an earlier fight over Victims of Crime Act funding. Last year, the administration said states could not access those funds unless they accepted its immigration-enforcement conditions. The coalition secured removal of those conditions from more than $1.3 billion in victim-assistance funding, the release said.
This year, the Justice Department applied immigration-related conditions to additional grants, including law enforcement and juvenile-justice funding, prompting the amended lawsuit.
The coalition argued that the administration was trying to make states carry out federal civil immigration enforcement by attaching conditions Congress had not authorized. The Attorney General’s Office said the conditions violated federal law and the Constitution’s Spending Clause.
New Jersey co-led the case with California, Delaware, Illinois and Rhode Island. The release did not identify a specific dollar amount for New Jersey affected by Wednesday’s ruling.
