A federal judge assailed the Trump administration Tuesday for its “ham-handed attempt to bully” states into cooperating with immigration authorities as a condition of receiving federal disaster and homeland security grants.
The ruling marks the latest criticism of the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to force state emergency management agencies to help the administration identify undocumented immigrants. The judge said DHS officials ignored his recent order barring the administration from demanding that states help with enforcement activities in return for receiving DHS grants.
“Defendants have done precisely what the Memorandum and Order forbids,” wrote Judge William Smith of the U.S. District Court of the District of Rhode Island, referring to his Sept. 24 ruling blocking DHS from linking grants to compliance with immigration authorities.
Smith, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, issued his ruling in favor of Democratic state attorneys general who sued to block the immigration compliance policy.
