A coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general sued the Trump administration Thursday, two days after the Education Department fired more than 1,300 workers, purging people who administer grants and track student achievement across America.

The group, led by New York’s Letitia James, sued the administration in a Massachusetts federal court, saying the dismissals were “illegal and unconstitutional.”

“Firing half of the Department of Education’s workforce will hurt students throughout New York and the nation, especially low-income students and those with disabilities who rely on federal funding,” James said in a news release. “This outrageous effort to leave students behind and deprive them of a quality education is reckless and illegal.”

The cuts to the department’s staff will cause a delay in “nearly every aspect” of the K-12 education in their states, the attorneys general said in their suit. Therefore, the coalition is seeking a court order to stop what it called “policies to dismantle” the agency, arguing that the layoffs are just a first step toward its destruction.

“All of President Trump’s executive actions are lawful, constitutional and intended to deliver on the promises he made to the American people,” said a White House spokesperson, Harrison Fields. “Partisan elected officials and judicial activists who seek to legally obstruct President Trump’s agenda are defying the will of 77 million Americans who overwhelmingly reelected President Trump, and their efforts will fail.”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon has said that the layoffs will help the department deliver services more efficiently and that the changes will not affect student loans, Pell grants or funding for special-needs students.

Thursday’s move was made in concert with the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, Vermont and the District of Columbia.

“President Trump is not a king, and he cannot unilaterally decide to close a Cabinet agency,” said Matt Platkin, New Jersey’s attorney general.

The suit is the most recent legal challenge to Trump’s fast-moving agenda. At the core of his goals has been a push to slash jobs, programs and funding across the government. To lead the push, Trump appointed Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, to run a program called the Department of Government Efficiency. Staffed by Musk’s young aides, DOGE has bulldozed through federal agencies.

In its 52 days, the Trump administration has dealt crippling blows to several departments, including the IRS, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Layoffs have also left thousands of federal workers unemployed and looking for employment in a sluggish job market.