AG Kris Mayes sues Trump administration over Homeland Security funding conditions

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has joined 26 states and jurisdictions in suing the Trump administration over conditions attached to federal homeland security and emergency preparedness grants.

The lawsuit, filed Friday against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and FEMA, says the administration is improperly linking funding to state cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and changes to election laws. The grants include more than $1 billion through the Homeland Security Grant Program, which supports responses to terrorism, cyberattacks and natural disasters.

The coalition is challenging requirements that could cut 20% of a state’s grant funding if it does not follow several election directives. Those include using paper ballots, conducting manual audits of at least 5% of voting systems, using an undisclosed DHS method to match voters with ballots, and checking the citizenship of every election worker and registered voter through the federal SAVE system.

The lawsuit also contests a provision allowing FEMA to end grants at any time and for any reason. The attorneys general argue the conditions violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution’s Spending Clause. Mayes said Arizona joined two successful lawsuits against similar funding conditions in 2025.