Overview

• Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, the lawsuit seeks an injunction to stop the Justice Department from conditioning VOCA funds on immigration cooperation.
• The challenged policy, announced by the Office for Victims of Crime, would require jurisdictions to assist DHS, provide ICE access to facilities, and give advance notice of inmate release dates.
• Attorneys general argue the requirements are unauthorized by the Victims of Crime Act and would deter victims and witnesses from reporting crimes, jeopardizing core services.
• VOCA distributes more than $1 billion annually from federal court fines, covering roughly 75% of state victim compensation and supporting services such as rape‑kit testing and domestic violence programs.
• Twenty states and Washington, D.C.—including California, New York, New Jersey, Nevada, and Rhode Island—joined the suit led by Democratic AGs, as the DOJ offered no comment and related grant cutbacks earlier this year totaled about $800 million.