A federal judge rebuked the Trump administration Tuesday for “a ham-handed attempt to bully the states” that also defied his court order against conditioning eligibility for federal funds on cooperation with immigration enforcement.
Judge William Smith of the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island, an appointee of George W. Bush, last month issued an order to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from requiring those conditions on state and local recipients of Federal Emergency Management Agency grants.
Smith, in an order Tuesday, said DHS since then has inserted those conditions on award letters along with statements that the conditions will become immediately effective if Smith’s order is lifted or wiped out on an appeal.
