Twenty Unites States and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department over new immigration enforcement conditions tied to federal grants intended for crime victims.
The legal action, lodged in federal court in Rhode Island on Monday, challenges a rule introduced under the Trump administration that makes funding contingent on compliance with federal immigration law.
The case centres on the Office for Victims of Crime, a Justice Department division established 42 years ago, which distributes more than $1 billion annually to all 50 states. The funds support compensation schemes and services such as crisis counselling centres, emergency shelters, domestic abuse hotlines and victim advocacy programmes.
Under the contested rule, grants may be denied to any programme that “violates (or promotes or facilitates the violation of) federal immigration law.” This includes refusing to provide access to Department of Homeland Security agents or to comply with DHS requests.
What the states argue about on the immigration rule
The states argue the condition is unlawful, noting that the 1980s legislation that created the federal victim grant programme made no reference to immigration enforcement. They contend the new requirements force them into an “untenable position”: either accept restrictions they consider unlawful or forfeit resources critical to victims of crime and their families.
California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota and Colorado are among the largely Democratic-led states involved. Collectively, they have received more than $500 million per year in victim grants since 2021.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to block the new rules, with officials warning that urgent relief is needed as most grant applications are due by Wednesday.
The dispute comes as President Trump pursues a broader crackdown on so-called sanctuary states and cities, which restrict local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities. On the day of his inauguration, Mr Trump signed an executive order directing officials to ensure that sanctuary jurisdictions were denied access to federal funds. Shortly afterwards, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered the Justice Department to suspend grants to groups providing services to undocumented immigrants.
