DOJ Drops Immigration Condition on VOCA Grants After Multi‑State Lawsuit

Overview

• A coalition of attorneys general from 20 states and Washington, D.C., sued in August to block the Justice Department’s proposed conditions on VOCA funds.
• The dropped requirements would have conditioned grants on honoring civil immigration requests, providing ICE facility access, and giving advance notice of release dates.
• The abandoned plan covered about $178 million in Victim Assistance grants and roughly $1.2 billion in Victim Compensation grants nationwide.
• Wisconsin officials said more than $24 million for victim services in that state was at risk under the proposal.
• VOCA grants support services used by nearly 9 million crime victims each year, and Maine received about $5.9 million in 2025, according to federal data.