DOT Won’t Fund Cities That ‘Stand by While Rioters Destroy Transportation Infrastructure’: Secretary

Cities that do not take action to protect infrastructure amid the ongoing illegal immigration-related riots should not expect to be funded by the Department of Transportation (DOT), said Secretary Sean Duffy in a June 16 post on social media platform X. “The @USDOT will NOT fund rogue state actors who refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement,” he wrote. “And to cities that stand by while rioters destroy transportation infrastructure—don’t expect a red cent from DOT, either. Follow the law, or forfeit the funding.” The riots began on June 6 in Los Angeles after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested dozens of illegal immigrants in the sanctuary city as part of an investigation into criminal networks involved in customs fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering. Sanctuary cities are referred to as such because they enact policies to impede efforts by federal agencies to enforce immigration law....