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Federal transportation officials warn states, local governments to end DEI, cooperate with ICE

A sign warns of road work ahead on Rt. 60 just outside of Charleston. (Photo by Steven Allen Adams)

CHARLESTON — The top transportation official in West Virginia said the state will comply with a directive sent out to states and local government recipients of federal transportation grants to cooperate with the Trump administration’s new policies regarding immigration enforcement and DEI.

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter on April 24 to all recipients of federal DOT funding to remind state and local governments to follow all legal requirements, including “prohibiting discrimination” and “enforcing controls on illegal immigration.”

“I write to clarify and reaffirm pertinent legal requirements, to outline the Department’s expectations, and to provide a reminder of your responsibilities and the consequences of noncompliance with Federal Law and the terms of your financial assistance agreements,” Duffy wrote.

Duffy said federal transportation grant recipients are required to ensure their personnel practices – such as hiring, promotions, and terminations – be merit-based and not based on policies connected to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office on Jan. 20 ending DEI programs in the federal government.

“Whether or not described in neutral terms, any policy, program, or activity that is premised on a prohibited classification, including discriminatory policies or practices designed to achieve so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion,’ or ‘DEI,’ goals, presumptively violates Federal Law,” Duffy wrote. “Any discriminatory actions in your policies, programs, and activities based on prohibited categories constitute a clear violation of Federal law and the terms of your grant agreements.”

Duffy also said grant recipients are required to cooperate and not hinder U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal law enforcement agencies involved with arresting and detaining illegal immigrants.

“DOT has noted reported instances where some recipients of Federal financial assistance have declined to cooperate with ICE investigations, have issued drivers’ licenses to individuals present in the United States in violation of Federal immigration law, or otherwise acted in a manner that impeded Federal law enforcement,” Duffy wrote. “Such actions undermine Federal sovereignty in the enforcement of immigration law, compromise the safety and security of the transportation systems supported by DOT financial assistance, and prioritize illegal aliens over the safety and welfare of the American people whose Federal taxes fund DOT’s financial assistance programs.”

In a statement Monday afternoon, West Virginia Department of Transportation Secretary Todd Rumbaugh said the department was in receipt of the letter and would fully cooperate with federal DOT.

“The West Virginia Department of Transportation intends to adhere to any and all rules and regulations passed down in the federal directive of April 24, 2025,” Rumbaugh said.

State departments and agencies were already required to review their programs for DEI after Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed an executive order in January. The Legislature passed a bill on the last night of the 2025 session on behalf of Morrisey further banning DEI programs and policies in state government, K-12 education, and higher education.

At the end of fiscal year 2024, federal transportation aid to West Virginia was $855.7 million, or roughly 39% of the state’s nearly $2.2 billion in revenue to state DOT that year.

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