Twenty states file motion to block Trump border wall funding: N.Y. attorney general

[April 06, 2019]    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Twenty U.S. states have filed a motion to block President Donald Trump's method of funding a border wall by diverting federal funds through a national emergency declaration, the New York state attorney general said on Friday.

The old (bottom R) and the new border fence dividing U.S. and Mexico is seen from Tecate, Mexico April 4, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

"This wall is unnecessary, and an abuse of power that will take away resources that could be used to help Americans across our nation," New York Attorney General Letitia James said on Twitter.

The states filed a lawsuit in February after Trump declared a national emergency to help build a border wall that was a signature of his 2016 campaign for president. The motion for a preliminary injunction to block Trump's effort that was filed late Thursday formalized that request.

Trump's order would allow him to spend money on the wall that Congress appropriated for other purposes. Congress declined to fulfill his request for $5.7 billion to help build the wall this year.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jeffrey Benkoe)

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