Maine has joined a coalition of twenty other Democrat-led states in suing the Trump Administration over its latest effort to crack down on so-called “sanctuary states.”
Under the Administration’s new policy, grants from the Office for Victims of Crime — housed under the Department of Justice (DOJ) — will not be awarded to any program that “violates (or promotes or facilitates the violation of) federal immigration law.”
Also ineligible for grant funding will be any program that “impedes or hinders the enforcement of federal immigration law,” including by failing to “give access to [Department of Homeland Security (DHS)] agents, or honor DHS requests.”
According to the states that signed onto the complaint, this condition is illegal because the Reagan-era law establishing the program does not mention immigration enforcement.
“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,” the plaintiffs argue in their lawsuit, which was filed in Rhode Island federal court.
“The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), an agency housed within the [DOJ] that is charged with administering [Victims of Crime Act (VOCA)] grants, has now declared that States will be unable to access VOCA funds unless they accede to the Executive Branch’s immigration enforcement priorities,” the complaint said.
The plaintiff states have collectively received about $500 million through this grant program since 2021.
The Attorneys General that signed onto the suit have argued that the Trump Administration’s policy looks to withhold as much as $1 billion in Congressionally approved funding.
Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan (R) in 1984, the VOCA created the Crime Victims’ Fund, which directs the proceeds from criminal fines, penalties, and forfeited bail bonds to victims compensation programs and victims assistance organizations. The Crime Victims’ Fund does not receive any taxpayer funding.
Although these programs must follow certain federal guidelines, the finer details are determined individually by state law.
According to PBS, the plaintiffs argue that Administration’s requirement that programs adhere to immigration law could interfere with policies designed to allow victims and witnesses to report crimes without risking deportation.
Newsweek reports that while some of the states involved in this lawsuit are officially considered to be sanctuary states, others have looser policies in place designed to shield those who are in the country illegally.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha shared a press release Monday announcing the lawsuit.
“This Administration is hanging Americans out to dry; in this case American victims who are attempting to pick up the pieces of their lives, bury their family members, and see to it that criminals responsible for hurting them and their loved ones are held accountable,” he said.
“And their supposed reasoning here is unfounded: Rhode Island consistently cooperates with all federal law enforcement agencies, as required by federal law,” he wrote. “What we won’t, and can’t do legally, is divert important state law enforcement resources to do the federal government’s civil immigration law bidding.”
As of this article’s publication, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey has not issued a statement speaking to Maine’s involvement in the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs in the case hope that the federal judge assigned to the case will block the Department of Justice [DOJ] from enforcing the challenged policy and, ultimately, void the immigration-related condition for receiving VOCA altogether.
Alongside Maine, Attorneys General from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin have all signed onto this lawsuit.
The DOJ has reportedly not responded to requests for comment from members of the press.
Earlier this month, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the DOJ “will continue bringing litigation against sanctuary jurisdictions and work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to eradicate these harmful policies around the country.”
“For too long, so-called sanctuary jurisdiction policies have undermined this necessary cooperation and obstructed federal immigration enforcement, giving aliens cover to perpetrate crimes in our communities and evade the immigration consequences that federal law requires,” she wrote in a letter sent to the officials in charge of sanctuary jurisdictions, warning them to cooperate with the federal government.
