Blue states sue over Trump policy withholding millions in funds over sanctuary policies

A coalition of Democratic attorneys general is waging a lawsuit to prevent the Trump administration from withholding millions in federal funds over their states’ refusal to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

The lawsuit, filed on Monday in the Rhode Island federal court, alleges that the Office for Victims of Crime — an office within the Department of Justice (DOJ) — created a policy that withholds Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding from states that are not assisting with President Donald Trump’s mission to crack down on illegal immigration. The Democrat prosecutors claim these “unprecedented conditions” tying VOCA funds to immigration enforcement are unlawful.

“The challenged conditions would force these States into an untenable position: either forfeit access to critical resources for vulnerable crime victims and their families, or accept unlawful conditions, allowing the federal government to conscript state and local officials to enforce federal immigration law and destroying trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities that is critical to preventing and responding to crime,” the lawsuit states.

“To prevent the extraordinary and irreparable harms that will arise from OVC’s new policy of imposing these unlawful conditions, this Court should swiftly enjoin their implementation and enforcement and set aside the challenged conditions,” the lawsuit continues.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include attorneys general from Rhode Island, Colorado, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, New York, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Illinois, Michigan, Vermont, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Wisconsin and Washington, all of whom are Democrats. The lawsuit also names Attorney General Pam Bondi and other DOJ officials as defendants.

A spokesperson for the DOJ did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Established by Congress in 1984, VOCA provides crime victims and survivors with a host of resources, such as emergency shelter, medical, funeral and other services, according to the lawsuit.

The attorneys general stated that funding streams from VOCA total more than $1 billion this year — funds which help state governments assist crime victims and protect public safety. Of the 20 states and Washington, D.C. that are waging the lawsuit, their governments have received just shy of $83 million in Victim Compensation Formula Grant funds in 2024, according to court documents.

VOCA funding had already begun to decline over the years, even under the Biden administration.

Under the Trump administration’s withholding policies, states could lose VOCA funds if they refuse to honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests, deny ICE agents access to detention centers or fail to give a courtesy heads-up of a pending release of a wanted migrant.

The VOCA policy is in line with the Trump administration’s overall agenda against sanctuary cities and jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration officials.

The DOJ sued New York City leaders in July for the city’s sanctuary laws, the latest target in a growing list of lawsuits from federal prosecutors. In the past few months, the White House has also sued Chicago, Los Angeles and New York State for instituting anti-ICE policies. The agency also maintains a running list of states, cities and counties it deems to be sanctuary havens for illegal migrants.

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