Court blocks bid to weaponize highway funds over immigration, admin drops appeal

The Trump administration dropped its appeal of a court ruling that blocked tying federal highway funding to immigration enforcement, effectively ending its bid to punish states that don’t cooperate with immigration officials. California and 21 other states had challenged the policy, and a judge said the move overstepped authority. The episode comes amid separate DOT actions against California over licenses for legal immigrants and English-language trucker requirements, including more than $160 million in highway funding cuts and threats to claw back funds in other states.