LANSING, Mich.-- Attorney General Dana Nessel, along with a coalition of 19 other attorneys general, has secured an order to permanently block the Trump Administration from illegally coercing states into immigration enforcement by threats of withholding billions of dollars in federal transportation funding.

Following the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island's earlier injunction in May, the Court has declared the Department of Transportation's (USDOT) immigration cooperation requirement to be unlawful, permanently prohibiting the Department from enforcing or implementing it.

“I am relieved that the Court has once again ruled that the Trump Administration cannot illegally threaten states by withholding critical transportation funding,” Nessel said. “With this order, Michigan can now focus on maintaining and improving infrastructure without unlawful conditions. I will continue to defend the resources that our communities count on.”

An initial lawsuit by the coalition of attorneys general was filed back in May after the Administration introduced the new conditions, requiring state agencies to cooperate with immigration enforcement or lose funding that is crucial to protecting transportation infrastructure.

Joining Attorney General Nessel in securing this injunction are the attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.