Overview

• Twenty Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C. sued the Justice Department in Rhode Island federal court on August 18 seeking to enjoin new VOCA funding rules.
• The legal challenge targets OVC’s condition requiring jurisdictions to grant ICE access to facilities and honor civil immigration enforcement requests to receive grants.
• Attorneys general argue the policy unlawfully commandeers state resources and infringes Congress’s appropriations power under the Spending Clause.
• VOCA funds, drawn from criminal fines and penalties, provide support such as shelter and counseling to roughly 8.5 million to 10 million crime victims each year.
• Federal judges in Rhode Island have already blocked comparable Trump administration restrictions and are expected to rule on the current suit.