TRENTON, N.J. — The U.S. Department of Justice will remove conditions on more than $1.3 billion in Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants following a lawsuit led by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and a coalition of states, officials announced Friday.
The DOJ had previously declared that states would be unable to access the funds — which are used to support victims and survivors of crimes — unless they assisted in federal immigration enforcement. The lawsuit, led by New Jersey and joined by 19 other states and the District of Columbia, challenged that requirement.
“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.”
The Victims of Crime Act was enacted in 1984 under President Ronald Reagan to provide federal grants for states to fund victim and witness advocacy services, emergency shelter, medical and funeral expenses, crime scene cleanup, and other forms of support. Nationwide, states use VOCA funding to assist nearly 9 million crime victims annually and to provide compensation for more than 200,000 claims each year.
Following the legal challenge, the DOJ has agreed to remove the conditions on $178 million in VOCA Victim Assistance grants and $1.2 billion in VOCA Victim Compensation grants. States will continue to receive the funding without being required to assist the Department of Homeland Security in immigration enforcement.
In addition to New Jersey, the lawsuit was co-led by attorneys general from California, Delaware, Illinois, and Rhode Island, with support from attorneys general in Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
