SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Urban Search and Rescue Task Force searches a flood-damaged property with a search canine in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene along the Swannanoa River in Asheville, North Carolina on October 4, 2024.
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Judge Rules Trump Can't Hold Disaster Aid Hostage Over Immigration Enforcement
"The federal government cannot prioritize its cruel immigration agenda over Americans' safety," said New York's attorney general, who was part of the case.
Sep 24, 2025
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that US President Donald Trump's attempt to bully states states into cooperating with his administration's anti-immigrant crackdown by conditioning emergency and disaster aid upon such cooperation is unconstitutional.
Judge William Smith of the US District Court for the District of Rhode Island—an appointee of former President George W. Bush—sided with 20 Democrat-led states and the District of Columbia, asserting in his 45-page ruling that "several contested conditions attached to the award of federal grants under the Department of Homeland Security are beyond the scope of DHS’ statutory authority, are a violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), and are unconstitutional."
"The court finds that the contested conditions are arbitrary and capricious and thus invalid under the APA and are also a violation of the conditions attached to the spending clause and thus unconstitutional," Smith added.
The 20 states and DC sued the administration in May, arguing that DHS was illegally using federal funds meant for emergency readiness and disaster relief to strong-arm them into cooperating with Trump's anti-immigrant crusade. In order to qualify for federal funds, states were ordered to grant federal immigration agents access to detainees and honor requests for cooperation, including by taking part in joint operations, sharing information, or holding detained immigrants.
The attorneys general in the case welcomed Smith's decision.
We just won our lawsuit against the DHS after a judge ruled the department can't hold life-saving disaster relief funds hostage to advance its anti-immigration efforts. The federal government cannot prioritize its cruel immigration agenda over Americans' safety.
— New York Attorney General Letitia James (@newyorkstateag.bsky.social) September 24, 2025 at 1:32 PM
“Today is an important win for the rule of law and reaffirms that the president may not pick and choose which laws he and his administration obey," Democratic Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement. "Today’s permanent injunction by Judge Smith says, in no uncertain terms, that this administration may not illegally impose immigration conditions on congressionally allocated federal funding for emergency services like disaster relief and flood mitigation. Case closed."
“These cases can feel long and daunting, and we still have a long road ahead of us, to be sure," Neronha added. "But today’s decision reminds us that this president cannot impose his will where he does not have the lawful power to do so. And while he may continue to try, we will continue to fight.”
Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who was also involved in the case, hailed Wednesday's "excellent news."
"This is a final win in our case that will protect funding for our communities to defend against terrorist attacks and prepare for emergencies," he added. "This is a good day for the rule of law and public safety."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that US President Donald Trump's attempt to bully states states into cooperating with his administration's anti-immigrant crackdown by conditioning emergency and disaster aid upon such cooperation is unconstitutional.
Judge William Smith of the US District Court for the District of Rhode Island—an appointee of former President George W. Bush—sided with 20 Democrat-led states and the District of Columbia, asserting in his 45-page ruling that "several contested conditions attached to the award of federal grants under the Department of Homeland Security are beyond the scope of DHS’ statutory authority, are a violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), and are unconstitutional."
"The court finds that the contested conditions are arbitrary and capricious and thus invalid under the APA and are also a violation of the conditions attached to the spending clause and thus unconstitutional," Smith added.
The 20 states and DC sued the administration in May, arguing that DHS was illegally using federal funds meant for emergency readiness and disaster relief to strong-arm them into cooperating with Trump's anti-immigrant crusade. In order to qualify for federal funds, states were ordered to grant federal immigration agents access to detainees and honor requests for cooperation, including by taking part in joint operations, sharing information, or holding detained immigrants.
The attorneys general in the case welcomed Smith's decision.
We just won our lawsuit against the DHS after a judge ruled the department can't hold life-saving disaster relief funds hostage to advance its anti-immigration efforts. The federal government cannot prioritize its cruel immigration agenda over Americans' safety.
— New York Attorney General Letitia James (@newyorkstateag.bsky.social) September 24, 2025 at 1:32 PM
“Today is an important win for the rule of law and reaffirms that the president may not pick and choose which laws he and his administration obey," Democratic Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement. "Today’s permanent injunction by Judge Smith says, in no uncertain terms, that this administration may not illegally impose immigration conditions on congressionally allocated federal funding for emergency services like disaster relief and flood mitigation. Case closed."
“These cases can feel long and daunting, and we still have a long road ahead of us, to be sure," Neronha added. "But today’s decision reminds us that this president cannot impose his will where he does not have the lawful power to do so. And while he may continue to try, we will continue to fight.”
Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who was also involved in the case, hailed Wednesday's "excellent news."
"This is a final win in our case that will protect funding for our communities to defend against terrorist attacks and prepare for emergencies," he added. "This is a good day for the rule of law and public safety."
From Your Site Articles
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that US President Donald Trump's attempt to bully states states into cooperating with his administration's anti-immigrant crackdown by conditioning emergency and disaster aid upon such cooperation is unconstitutional.
Judge William Smith of the US District Court for the District of Rhode Island—an appointee of former President George W. Bush—sided with 20 Democrat-led states and the District of Columbia, asserting in his 45-page ruling that "several contested conditions attached to the award of federal grants under the Department of Homeland Security are beyond the scope of DHS’ statutory authority, are a violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), and are unconstitutional."
"The court finds that the contested conditions are arbitrary and capricious and thus invalid under the APA and are also a violation of the conditions attached to the spending clause and thus unconstitutional," Smith added.
The 20 states and DC sued the administration in May, arguing that DHS was illegally using federal funds meant for emergency readiness and disaster relief to strong-arm them into cooperating with Trump's anti-immigrant crusade. In order to qualify for federal funds, states were ordered to grant federal immigration agents access to detainees and honor requests for cooperation, including by taking part in joint operations, sharing information, or holding detained immigrants.
The attorneys general in the case welcomed Smith's decision.
We just won our lawsuit against the DHS after a judge ruled the department can't hold life-saving disaster relief funds hostage to advance its anti-immigration efforts. The federal government cannot prioritize its cruel immigration agenda over Americans' safety.
— New York Attorney General Letitia James (@newyorkstateag.bsky.social) September 24, 2025 at 1:32 PM
“Today is an important win for the rule of law and reaffirms that the president may not pick and choose which laws he and his administration obey," Democratic Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement. "Today’s permanent injunction by Judge Smith says, in no uncertain terms, that this administration may not illegally impose immigration conditions on congressionally allocated federal funding for emergency services like disaster relief and flood mitigation. Case closed."
“These cases can feel long and daunting, and we still have a long road ahead of us, to be sure," Neronha added. "But today’s decision reminds us that this president cannot impose his will where he does not have the lawful power to do so. And while he may continue to try, we will continue to fight.”
Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who was also involved in the case, hailed Wednesday's "excellent news."
"This is a final win in our case that will protect funding for our communities to defend against terrorist attacks and prepare for emergencies," he added. "This is a good day for the rule of law and public safety."
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.