Federal Judges Block Conditional FEMA, DHS Funding

U.S. District Judge William E. Smith in Rhode Island permanently blocked the Trump administration from conditioning billions in FEMA and DHS emergency and homeland‑security grants on state cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, finding the policy coercive, hopelessly vague, arbitrary and capricious, and in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act and Congress’s spending power. The ruling ordered agencies to release funds for more than 50 programs and said the administration’s financial pressure amounted to unlawful “economic dragooning.” Smith said withholding disaster and public‑safety funding would cause irreparable harm to states that rely on the grants for disaster relief, counterterrorism, mass‑shooting response, wildfire mitigation, cybersecurity and other vital services, and permanently enjoined DHS/FEMA from enforcing the contested conditions. Separate federal judges have issued preliminary injunctions in related suits blocking other grant conditions tied to immigration cooperation or bans on DEI programs, protecting multiple cities and counties. The administration said it remains committed to pursuing its policy goals despite the rulings.