Federal Appeals Court Dismisses Immigration Enforcement Funding Appeal

The U.S. Justice Department moved to dismiss an appeal on barring President Trump's administration from compelling Democratic-led states to cooperate with immigration enforcement to secure transportation grants. A Rhode Island judge ruled that the requirement lacks legal authority and contravenes the U.S. Constitution.

The Justice Department on Tuesday requested a federal appeals court to dismiss its challenge against a lower court decision. This decision had blocked the Trump administration from making it mandatory for 20 Democratic-led states to comply with certain immigration enforcement measures to qualify for transport grants.

In July, a U.S. judge in Rhode Island determined that the U.S. Department of Transportation had overstepped its bounds. The ruling outlined that the department could not condition the receipt of transport funding on states' cooperation with immigration authorities, deeming it unconstitutional.

This case underscores ongoing legal challenges surrounding federal and state authority interpretations and the intersection of transportation funding and immigration policy.