Six US states, including New York, are suing the federal government. This is due to the Trump administrations attempts to make the receipt of millions in federal law enforcement funding dependent on cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, New York, Massachusetts, and Virginia filed the lawsuit on Wednesday, claiming that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has no authority to impose such conditions in the first place.
A similar lawsuit was filed on the same day, also in Manhattan federal court, by New York City. Barbara Underwood, the Attorney General of New York, said the meeting of local public safety requirements is up to local law enforcement, and that local and state police do not have to behave as federal immigration agents on behalf of the Trump administration.
The lawsuits filed on Wednesday focus on the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants, which offer federal funding to local and state law enforcement. The immigration policies pursued by President Donald Trump have resulted in several legal battles, including the recent controversy over the separation of immigrant parents and children who illegally crossed the Mexico border into the US.
Devin O’Malley, a spokesman for the Justice Department, slammed the lawsuits, calling them a disservice to the law-abiding citizens of the states concerned, adding that the DOJ will continue to fight for the rule of law and to keep criminal immigrants out of communities to ensure public safety. The states say they were given a deadline of 10 August to comply with immigration conditions or risk losing the grants.