Judge blocks Trump plan to tie states’ transportation funds to immigration enforcement

States argued US transportation secretary lacks authority to impose conditions on funding appropriated by Congress

A federal judge on Thursday blocked Donald Trump's administration from forcing 20 Democratic-led states to cooperate with immigration enforcement in order to receive billions of dollars in transportation grant funding.

Chief US District Judge John McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, granted the states' request for an injunction barring the Department of Transportation's policy, saying the states were likely to succeed on the merits of some or all of their claims.