New Jersey attorney general, multistate coalition win court ruling protecting federal law enforcement funding
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and a coalition of 23 states have secured a federal court ruling blocking the Trump administration from imposing immigration enforcement conditions on federal public safety grants used to support law enforcement, crime prevention and juvenile justice programs.
The ruling, issued by Chief U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. in Rhode Island, declared the administration’s grant conditions unlawful and permanently prohibited the federal government from implementing or enforcing them.
The decision protects access to congressionally authorized funding for programs that help law enforcement agencies purchase protective equipment, combat drug trafficking, enforce Megan’s Law and locate violent criminals, according to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.
“Today’s victory in court makes clear that the federal government cannot unlawfully politicize law enforcement and public safety by threatening our access to critical funding that helps us help pay for protective equipment for law enforcement, fight drug trafficking, enforce Megan’s Law, and find violent criminals. We are grateful that the court saw through the Administration’s latest attempt to attach illegal conditions to this critical law enforcement funding,” said Attorney General Davenport. “Make no mistake: We will continue to fight the Administration’s brazenly unlawful actions that put politics over public safety.”
The lawsuit challenged conditions imposed by the U.S. Department of Justice that would have required states to comply with the administration’s immigration enforcement demands to receive certain federal public safety grants.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the dispute follows a similar legal challenge last year involving funding under the Victims of Crime Act, commonly known as VOCA.
In that case, the Trump administration sought to condition states’ access to federal victim assistance funding on compliance with its immigration enforcement policies. A multistate coalition successfully challenged those requirements, resulting in the federal government removing the conditions from more than $1.3 billion in VOCA funding.
The administration subsequently applied similar immigration-related requirements to additional federal grant programs in 2026, including funding dedicated to law enforcement and juvenile justice.
Among the affected programs was the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, commonly known as Byrne JAG, which has served for decades as a major source of federal criminal justice funding for state and local governments.
The program provides financial assistance to support a range of criminal justice initiatives, including law enforcement operations, crime prevention and public safety improvements.
The coalition argued that the federal government lacked the authority to impose immigration enforcement requirements that were not authorized by Congress as conditions for receiving the grants.
The states also maintained that civil immigration enforcement is primarily a federal responsibility and that the administration’s efforts to compel state participation violated constitutional principles involving federalism and the separation of powers.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the challenged conditions violated federal laws enacted by Congress and the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which governs Congress’ authority to provide federal funding to states.
The federal court agreed that the challenged conditions were unlawful and issued a permanent injunction preventing their implementation or enforcement.
Davenport co-led the lawsuit alongside California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.
The coalition also included the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia, along with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
New Jersey was represented in the litigation by Deputy Attorneys General Bassam F. Gergi, Nathaniel F. Rubin, Phoenix N. Meyers, Sarah Nealon, Surinder K. Aggarwal and Anaiis Gonzalez, under the supervision of Assistant Attorney General Mayur P. Saxena, Deputy Solicitor General Shankar Duraiswamy and Solicitor General Sundeep Iyer.
The ruling prevents the federal government from enforcing the challenged immigration-related conditions on the affected grants, allowing states to seek the public safety funding without complying with those requirements.
