New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has announced that he, along with attorneys general from California, Delaware, Illinois, and Rhode Island, is leading a coalition of 21 states in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration. The suit challenges new conditions placed on Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants, which are federal funds used to support victims and survivors of crimes.
According to Platkin, the Trump Administration has required states to comply with certain immigration enforcement priorities in order to access VOCA funds. These funds have traditionally been used for services such as advocacy for crime victims, sexual assault forensic exams, medical expenses, funeral costs, and other resources.
“New Jerseyans who have been victimized by serious crime are now being mistreated by their own federal government as the Trump Administration attempts to block funding for advocacy services, sexual assault forensic exams, medical and funeral expenses, and other critical resources in their time of need,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Playing politics with the lives of people who have suffered so greatly is reckless, it is cruel, and in this case – it is illegal. We are filing suit today to stand up for our residents, and for the law, which prevents these unlawful conditions on Congressionally-authorized funding. We look forward to blocking these conditions and preventing further harms to crime victims.”
The VOCA program was established in 1984 under President Ronald Reagan to help states provide essential resources and support services for crime victims. States use VOCA funds each year to assist nearly nine million crime victims nationwide and process more than 200,000 compensation claims annually.
The new directive from the U.S. Department of Justice requires states seeking VOCA funds to assist the Department of Homeland Security with civil immigration enforcement—a responsibility typically handled by federal agencies rather than state governments.
Attorney General Platkin argues that this move violates principles such as separation of powers and federalism because Congress did not grant authority for these additional requirements when creating the grant programs. The coalition’s lawsuit asks the court to permanently block enforcement or implementation of these new conditions.
Legal representation for New Jersey includes Solicitor General Jeremy Feigenbaum; Deputy Solicitor General Shankar Duraiswamy; Assistant Attorney General Mayur P. Saxena; and Deputy Attorneys General Surinder Aggarwal, Bassam Gergi, Anaiis Gonzalez, Olivia Mendes, Phoenix Meyers, Sarah Nealon, Daniel Resler, and Nathaniel Rubin.
Alongside New Jersey’s leadership role with California’s Rob Bonta; Delaware’s Kathy Jennings; Illinois’ Kwame Raoul; and Rhode Island’s Peter F. Neronha—the attorneys general from Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico,
New York,
Oregon,
Vermont,
Washington,
Wisconsin,
and Washington D.C.
have also joined the legal challenge.
