Overview

• Chief US District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. issued a preliminary injunction on June 19, 2025, blocking the Department of Transportation policy.
• The Duffy Directive would have required states to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation operations to qualify for federal transportation grants.
• The court determined that the enforcement condition was arbitrary and capricious because it offered no clear standards for state cooperation.
• The ruling held that the policy violated the Constitution’s Spending Clause by failing to relate reasonably to the stated purpose of transportation funding.
• Twenty Democratic-led states sued after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on April 24 that non-cooperation could cost them billions in grants, prompting the emergency injunction ahead of the June 20 application deadline.