Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell is taking a stand against the Trump administration's latest tactic to enforce strict immigration policies. Campbell, along with a cohort of 21 attorneys general, has filed two lawsuits disputing the federal government's threats to withhold billions in funding meant for emergency and transportation services—funds that were initially appropriated by Congress without any conditions related to immigration enforcement, according to a recent press release.
"Threatening to withhold federal funding appropriated by Congress as a way to bully states into aiding and abetting the Trump Administration’s fear-driven and inhumane immigration policies isn’t just unconstitutional — it’s extortion," Campbell said in the press release. These funding programs, including those from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT), serve as critical resources for infrastructure and disaster preparedness projects. The move to enforce immigration compliance by leveraging federal aid is seen by AG Campbell as insidious, putting public safety and trust at risk.
The first lawsuit, aimed at FEMA and DHS, notes that the administration's actions exceed their legal authority and compromise the intended use of Congress-appropriated funds—to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Massachusetts, for example, received over five million dollars from FEMA last year, part of an aggregate sum surpassing 23 million dollars over four years.
Similarly, the second lawsuit addresses the DOT's overreach, emphasizing that the imposed immigration-related conditions could severely damage public infrastructure. In just last year, Massachusetts has benefited from more than five million in grants from the DOT, with a total of over one billion expected for the fiscal years 2022 to 2026. AG Campbell and the attorneys general argue that such measures would not only jeopardize public works but also erode the public's trust and cooperation in law enforcement endeavors.
The cohort of attorneys general backing AG Campbell represents a diverse array of states, some of which include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, and Hawaii. They collectively reject the administrative demands, which range from requiring access to individual immigration status to participating in joint enforcement operations, actions they view as unconstitutional and beyond the agency’s intended scope.
