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

The decision comes after some Los Angeles protestors damaged public property, including sidewalks.

Flames engulf an autonomous Waymo vehicle during an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement riot and protest in downtown Los Angeles on June 8, 2025. Benjamin Hanson/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

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), Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said 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.”