Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general and Pennsylvania in an amended lawsuit challenging immigration-enforcement conditions placed by the Trump administration on federal public safety grants.
The coalition argues that the U.S. Department of Justice is unlawfully requiring states to comply with federal immigration-enforcement demands to receive funding for law enforcement, juvenile justice and other public safety programs.
“The federal government is unlawfully conditioning grants that keep Maryland officers safe, prevent violence, and promote firearm safety in our communities,” Brown said. “We joined this lawsuit because public safety should never be used as leverage to force states into doing Washington’s immigration work.”
The dispute includes funding through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program and other programs. In Maryland, federal grants support initiatives involving violence prevention, firearm safety, victim services and other public safety efforts.
The coalition is asking the court to declare the conditions unlawful and permanently block their implementation or enforcement. Brown’s office argues that civil immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and that the grant conditions violate federal law and the U.S. Constitution.
