Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, alongside a coalition of attorneys general, has filed motions seeking injunctions to prevent the Trump Administration from withholding billions in federal funding. The funds are designated for law enforcement, counterterrorism, emergency services, disaster preparation and relief, transportation infrastructure repairs, and transit improvements.
Platkin criticized the administration’s actions as reckless and harmful to public safety. “The Trump Administration’s reckless attempts to take away billions of dollars in federal funding for law enforcement, emergency response, counterterrorism, transportation, and more will put our residents in harm’s way,” he stated. He further emphasized that these threats are outrageous and vowed to block them through legal means.
Last week saw the filing of two lawsuits by Platkin and 20 other attorneys general. One lawsuit targets the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including FEMA and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. The second is against the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy. These agencies have imposed conditions requiring states to use their law enforcement resources for federal civil immigration enforcement efforts or face withheld funding.
The coalition seeks preliminary injunctions in both cases to prevent these conditions from being enforced on New Jersey and other states involved in the coalition.
In their legal arguments, Platkin and his colleagues argue that Congress established various federal funding programs administered by DHS and DOT without any link to immigration enforcement. New Jersey receives over $2 billion annually from these programs for essential projects such as terrorism protection, disaster relief, flood mitigation, railroad construction, bridge repair, and airport improvements.
In February, Secretary Noem directed DHS sub-agencies like FEMA to halt funding for jurisdictions not assisting with federal immigration law enforcement. In March, DHS amended grant terms requiring recipients’ compliance with this directive as a condition for receiving funds.
Following Noem’s decision, DOT Secretary Duffy informed grant recipients about plans to require state and local governments’ assistance in immigration enforcement as a condition for DOT funds allocation.
The coalition argues that these conditions exceed DHS’s legal authority and are unconstitutional since Congress appropriated funds specifically for disaster preparedness and response. They stress that enforcing such conditions could jeopardize public safety by risking hundreds of millions in emergency preparedness funds while damaging trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities.
Regarding DOT funds conditioned on immigration enforcement compliance—used for highway development or airport safety—the coalition contends this exceeds agency authority too. They assert that withholding these funds would harm public infrastructure nationwide while undermining cooperation during criminal investigations.
Joining Attorney General Platkin are attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Nevada New Mexico New York Oregon Rhode Island Washington Wisconsin Vermont seeking court intervention against cutting critical funding.
