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4w ago

20 States and D.C. Sue to Block DOJ’s Immigration Conditions on Victim Aid

The lawsuit asks a federal judge to block new rules linking more than $1 billion in victim assistance funding to state cooperation with ICE enforcement

FILE - The Department of Justice seal is seen during a news conference at the DOJ office in Washington, May 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
FILE - The U.S. Department of Justice building is seen in Washington, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
A person argues with people protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts outside U.S. immigration court in Manhattan, in New York City, U.S., August 14, 2025. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado/File Photo
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Overview

  • On August 18, a coalition of 20 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia filed suit in Rhode Island federal court to enjoin Justice Department conditions on Victims of Crime Act grants.
  • Attorney General Pam Bondi’s policy requires jurisdictions to grant ICE access to facilities, honor civil immigration enforcement requests and share detainee release dates to receive VOCA funds.
  • State attorneys general argue the conditions exceed executive authority, violate the Constitution’s Spending Clause and anticommandeering principles and conflict with VOCA’s statutory distribution formula.
  • Plaintiffs warn that tying the more than $1.4 billion in annual VOCA funding to immigration enforcement could deter immigrant victims from seeking help and force cuts to critical services such as shelter and counseling.
  • The suit is the latest in a broader legal campaign against the administration’s grant-conditionality strategy, with Rhode Island courts already issuing preliminary orders blocking similar DOJ restrictions.