Numerous attorneys general from 20 states and Washington D.C. filed a lawsuit Monday August 18, 2025, in Rhode Island federal court seeking to block the U.S. Department of Justice from enforcing conditions that would cut funding to a state or subgrantee if it refused to cooperate or implement civil immigration enforcement requests. The lawsuit also seeks to deny U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement officers access to facilities to locate individuals because of their immigration status.
The lawsuit argues that the government is overstepping constitutional and administrative authority, and it further claims that new enforcement standards will interfere with policies that were established to ensure victims and witnesses report crimes, absent fear of deportation.
Federal funding provides for victim’s compensation programs which are used to provide financial help to crime victims, including medical expense reimbursements, paying for crime scene cleanup, and counseling or help with funeral costs for homicide victims. The Department of Justice is currently aiming to use crime victim funds as a bargaining chip to force states into carrying out immigration enforcement.
For more information on this, and other immigration matters, contact the attorneys at Gonzalez Olivieri LLC.
Reference:
Claudia Lauer & Mike Catalini, 20 States and DC Sue DOJ to Stop Immigration Requirements on Victim Funds, MSN (Aug. 18, 2025), https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/20-states-and-dc-sue-doj-to-stop-immigration-requirements-on-victim-funds/ar-AA1KKpU9?ocid=BingNewsSerp.
