Providence, Rhode Island - A federal judge recently blocked President Donald Trump's attempt to withhold states' transportation funding to force them to comply with his aggressive immigration agenda.

On Thursday, Chief US District Judge John McConnell ruled that Trump's Transportation Department lacked the authority to force states to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in order to obtain funding.

Judge McConnell further noted that "Congress did not authorize or grant" such authority to the department as required, making the Trump administration's effort a violation of the Constitution.

The judge also described the move as "arbitrary and capricious in its scope and lacks specificity" and issued a preliminary injunction preventing the administration from carrying out the plan.

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The ruling comes after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned a number of states, particularly those labeled "sanctuary jurisdictions," that they could lose federal transportation funding if they did not cooperate with ICE's immigration raids throughout the country.

In response, a group of 20 Democratic state attorneys general sued Duffy, arguing the move was an unlawful attempt to hold the funds hostage.

In a statement, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, one of the plaintiffs in the suit, applauded the ruling and admonished the Trump administration for treating the funds that would improve the states "as a bargaining chip" and calling the effort "immoral – and more importantly, illegal."