Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Noronha is co-leading a group of 20 attorneys general challenging the Trump administration’s threat to withhold government funding from states that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts.
Back in February, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation announced that in order for states like Rhode Island to receive funding from their respective agencies, they would have to cooperate with government officials in enforcing federal immigration law.
On Tuesday, Neronha and the other attorneys general filed separate lawsuits against DOH and DOT, saying they lack the legal authority to require states to abide by federal immigration policy in order to receive funding. Neronha claims the Trump administration is defying the Constitution by adding a series of terms and conditions to the grant funding that’s already been allocated by Congress.
“We are experiencing creeping authoritarianism in this country, and as a people, we must continue to resist,” Neronha said in a prepared statement. “By threatening to withhold these congressionally allocated funds, used for projects like fixing highways and preparing for natural disasters, the President is willing to put our collective safety at risk.”
The $628 million in grant funding to Rhode Island would go towards local public safety and infrastructure projects, including the reconstruction of the Washington Bridge.
Both suits were filed in Rhode Island U.S. District Court.
