N.J. reaches agreement with DOJ on federal victim-services funding, preserving access for assault and domestic-violence survivors
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin on Tuesday announced a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice that ensures federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) funds will continue to support survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence without new federal restrictions.
The agreement resolves a lawsuit filed last month by New Jersey and 19 other attorneys general challenging DOJ’s plan to apply new conditions that would have limited certain state-funded services for survivors unable to immediately prove their immigration status. Under the settlement, DOJ agreed it will not impose those restrictions on any VOCA Victim Assistance or VAWA awards.
“The Trump Administration’s attempt to cut off support for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence was cruel, reckless, and illegal – and now we’ve stopped it,” Platkin said in announcing the resolution. “I am proud to have fought alongside our partners across the country against the threats made by the Trump Administration that targeted those who had already been victims of horrific crimes. The agreement we have reached with the Department of Justice ensures that we will continue to be able to support the recovery of these residents and allow them to rebuild their lives.”
For decades, VOCA and VAWA grants have funded legal aid, housing assistance, protective-order support, relocation services, child-support guidance, and rape-crisis center programs for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, and other violent crimes. Federal law does not require service providers to verify immigration status for these programs.
The October lawsuit argued DOJ’s new “Legal Services Condition” would have forced providers to collect immigration documentation—something they do not typically do—and potentially deny assistance to survivors facing urgent safety needs. Some of the restrictions would have applied retroactively to grants already awarded.
Under the binding stipulation announced Tuesday, DOJ will not apply the challenged restrictions to any current VOCA or VAWA funding. New Jersey and the other states are dismissing their lawsuit without prejudice, allowing them to refile if similar conditions are proposed in the future.
Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Rhode Island, Washington, and the District of Columbia joined New Jersey in the agreement.
