U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrest an illegal immigrant May 5 in North Hills, Calif. Oregon, Washington and 18 other states are suing the Trump administration, alleging the administration is trying to coerce them into cooperating with federal immigration agencies.(Courtesy of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

The Trump administration has been sued by Oregon, Washington and other sanctuary states that face losing federal funds to build highways, fight wildfires, and prepare for and recover from disasters.

Led by California and Illinois, the 20-state coalition filed twin lawsuits May 13 in the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island against the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Transportation.

The states claim the departments are illegally threatening to withhold congressionally-approved funds to coerce state and local law agencies into helping enforce immigration laws.

“The president is once again acting illegally, threatening federal funding cuts without authority,” Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said. “But the Trump administration cannot retaliate against our state for protecting the rights and dignity of all residents.”

Homeland Security and Transportation issued notices that grants will be contingent on local law agencies sharing information with federal immigration officials and providing access to illegal immigrants in custody.

The 20 states receive about $3 billion a year combined from Homeland Security, according to the lawsuit. Homeland Security subagencies include the Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Coast Guard.

FEMA plans to withhold from sanctuary states funds to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. The Coast Guard will withhold funds to help states respond to recreational boaters in distress, according to the lawsuit.

The states stand to lose more for highway, road, rail and mass transit projects. Washington alone received $1.1 billion last year in federal transportation funds, according to the attorney general’s office. Washington received about $500 million from agencies within Homeland Security.

Oregon was the first state in the nation to bar police officers and sheriff’s deputies from voluntarily helping enforce immigration laws, passing its sanctuary law in 1987. Washington passed a sanctuary law in 2019.

Brown sued the Adams County Sheriff’s Office in Washington in March for helping federal immigration agencies. The county argues federal law compels it to share information with immigration officers.

President Donald Trump has directed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to compile a list of sanctuary jurisdictions by May 28 and to notify each one about potential violations of federal law.

The Trump administration will “double down on removing dangerous criminals,” Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem said this month in Illinois, standing with people who have had relatives killed by illegal immigrants who had been released after being arrested.

“People who support sanctuary polices talk about love and compassion. Well, where’s the compassion for the families that stand behind me?” she asked.

The other states suing Trump are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.