States were advised by the transportation secretary to ‘enforce our immigration rules, end anti-American DEI policies, and protect free speech.’
The federal government on Thursday warned states they could lose federal transportation funding if they do not comply with its policies on illegal immigration and discrimination.
A letter sent by the Department of Transportation (DOT) to states and other grant recipients of the agency’s financial assistance said they must ensure personnel practices are merit-based and must cooperate on federal immigration enforcement efforts.
“Federal grants come with a clear obligation to adhere to federal laws,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. “It shouldn’t be controversial–enforce our immigration rules, end anti-American DEI policies, and protect free speech. These values reflect the priorities of the American people, and I will take action to ensure compliance.”
President Donald Trump in January signed orders targeting “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) policies and practices in the federal government, which he described as “illegal and immoral” forms of discrimination. A number of orders were signed by Trump to curb illegal immigration and implement bolstered security around the U.S.–Mexico border.
“Any policy, program, or activity that is premised on a prohibited classification, including discriminatory policies or practices designed to achieve so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion,’ or ‘DEI,’ goals, presumptively violates Federal law,” Duffy wrote in the letter, adding that states that receive DOT assistance have to ensure that its personnel policies are “merit-based” and don’t “discriminate based on prohibited categories.”
“Any discriminatory actions in your policies, programs, and activities based on prohibited categories constitute a clear violation of Federal law and the terms of your grant agreements,” it said.
To receive DOT funds, states must comply with legal requirements and cooperate with the federal government in enforcing immigration law and not block Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, the letter added.
Duffy, a former Wisconsin congressman, said that his agency has discovered “reported instances where some recipients of Federal financial assistance have declined to cooperate with ICE investigations, have issued driver’s licenses to individuals present in the United States in violation of Federal immigration law, or have otherwise acted in a manner that impedes Federal law enforcement.”
