DOJ Drops Immigration Conditions from $1.3B in Crime Victim Grants After Lawsuit Led by New Jersey

Victory in multi-state legal challenge ensures continued access to VOCA funds without requiring states to participate in federal immigration enforcement.

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced a key legal victory on October 6, 2025, in a multi-state lawsuit that successfully challenged the Trump Administration’s attempt to tie immigration enforcement conditions to Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant funding. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has agreed to rescind its proposed restrictions, which threatened to block over $1.3 billion in VOCA grants unless states assisted with federal immigration enforcement.

The lawsuit, led by New Jersey and joined by 20 other states and the District of Columbia, was filed in response to a DOJ policy that would have conditioned access to VOCA funding on state cooperation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in civil immigration enforcement—a federal responsibility not mandated for states under existing law.

The challenged conditions applied to two major VOCA grant programs:

• $178 million in VOCA Victim Assistance grants

• $1.2 billion in VOCA Victim Compensation grants

These funding streams are used by states to support victims and survivors of crimes with services including emergency shelter, funeral expenses, medical treatment, sexual assault forensic exams, and crisis counseling. The VOCA program was established in 1984 under President Ronald Reagan and provides states with grants based on fixed statutory formulas. VOCA-supported programs assist an estimated 9 million crime victims annually, and pay compensation for over 200,000 claims each year.

The DOJ’s original move to impose immigration-related requirements on these grants was criticized as contrary to the law and congressional intent. According to the coalition, the policy effectively penalized crime victims by making their access to services contingent on states adopting federal immigration enforcement priorities.

“When the Trump Administration recklessly attempted to mistreat victims of crime in New Jersey and across the country, we took action and led a 20 Attorney General coalition to ensure continued funding under the Victims of Crime Act,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Now the Trump Department of Justice has agreed to drop illegal conditions on this critical funding, which will ensure that advocacy services, sexual assault forensic exams, medical and funeral expenses, and other critical resources for victims of crimes will continue to be available. While this fight over DOJ’s unlawful and politicized use of grant conditions is not yet over, I am glad to have achieved this significant victory for our residents alongside our coalition.”

Following the legal challenge, the DOJ has now agreed to drop the conditions, ensuring that states may continue to receive VOCA funds without being compelled to enforce federal immigration laws.

New Jersey was joined in leading the lawsuit by the Attorneys General of California, Delaware, Illinois, and Rhode Island. The case was also supported by the Attorneys General of Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.

The resolution of the lawsuit affirms states' autonomy in delivering victim services and upholds the structure of the VOCA program as established by Congress.