Attorney General Ellison files lawsuit against Trump Administration’s imposition of illegal conditions on Victims of Crime Act grants

Attorney General Ellison joins 21 attorneys general in suing Trump Administration for attempting to block access to over $1 billion for victims and survivors of crimes

August 20, 2025 (SAINT PAUL) — Attorney General Ellison today announced he joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in suing the Trump Administration over the illegal imposition of conditions on Congressionally-authorized Victims of Crime Act grants. The Trump Administration, disregarding the clear letter of the law and intent of Congress, has declared that States will be unable to access these funds – used to support victims and survivors of crimes – unless they agree to support the Trump Administration’s extreme immigration enforcement efforts.

“Pulling the rug out from under crime victims is exactly the kind of cruelty I have come to expect from Donald Trump and his administration,” said Attorney General Keith Ellison. “Crime victims deserve so much better than to be used as political leverage, so I am filing a lawsuit to put an end to that and make sure victims get the support and compensation they deserve. My mission is to help Minnesotans afford their lives and live with dignity, safety, and respect, and if Donald Trump violates the law and interferes with that mission, I will not hesitate to take him to court.”

The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) was enacted in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan, creating a series of grant programs to enable States to provide critical resources and services to victims and survivors of crime as they try to restore normalcy in their lives: victim and witness advocacy services, emergency shelter, medical, funeral, and burial expenses, crime scene cleanup, sexual assault forensic exams, , and much more. These funding streams—totaling more than a billion dollars a year nationwide—have long ensured that States could fulfill their most fundamental duties: to protect public safety and redress harm to their residents. States use these funds to assist nearly 9 million crime victims per year and to provide compensation for more than 200,000 victims’ claims per year. Congress has required the distribution of nearly all VOCA funding to States based on fixed statutory formulas and has repeatedly acted to ensure sufficient funding for crime victims, including after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

However, the Trump Administration, through the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ), has declared that States, along with the victims and survivors they serve, will be blocked from these funds unless they comply with the Administration’s political agenda – namely its immigration enforcement priorities. In order to receive these funds, States must assist the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with civil immigration enforcement efforts – a federal, not state government responsibility.  

This directive conflicts with core principles of American governance – the separation of powers, and federalism. Congress did not authorize USDOJ to impose conditions on these grant programs that coerce States to devote their resources to enacting the Administration’s immigration agenda. As such, Attorney General Ellison and the coalition are requesting that the Court permanently enjoin the Trump Administration from implementing or enforcing these illegal conditions.

Attorney General Ellison joins the attorneys general of New Jersey, California, Delaware, Illinois, Rhode Island, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia in filing this lawsuit.