Overview

• U.S. District Judge William E. Smith granted summary judgment to 20 states and D.C., permanently enjoining DHS and FEMA from enforcing the immigration-related grant terms.
• The court vacated the contested conditions and directed the release of funds across more than 50 DHS- and FEMA-administered programs.
• Smith held the policy violated the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution’s Spending Clause, calling the terms arbitrary, unrelated to program purposes, unlawfully ambiguous, and coercive.
• DHS’s argument that the case was moot failed, as the judge found the department never formally rescinded the policy and continued to bind states through standard grant terms.
• State attorneys general hailed the ruling as protecting public-safety funding, DHS criticized sanctuary policies, and observers expect the administration to appeal with potential further litigation ahead.