LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is joining a coalition of 21 attorneys general in suing the Trump Administration over what she calls illegal conditions on federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding.
The lawsuit argues that the U.S. Department of Justice is attempting to block states from accessing more than $1 billion in VOCA grants nationwide, including about $37 million for Michigan, unless they agree to assist with the administration’s immigration enforcement agenda.
“These grants are essential for law enforcement to investigate and prosecute crimes,” Nessel said. “It’s literally defunding law enforcement, and it means perpetrators are going to get off the hook. That only creates more victims.”
VOCA, signed into law in 1984, was designed to provide states with grant funding to support victims and survivors of crime. In Michigan, those dollars reach more than 115 organizations each year, including domestic violence shelters, child advocacy centers, human trafficking organizations, legal aid services, and trauma recovery programs. The grants also cover costs like rape kits, funeral expenses, counseling, and transportation for victims and witnesses.
Nessel warned that if the money is withheld, prosecutors across the state may be unable to move cases forward. “Without crucial support services to offer victims of heinous crimes, they’re much less likely to pursue a criminal prosecution to hold their attackers accountable,” she said.
The coalition of attorneys general says the Justice Department has no authority to attach unrelated conditions to VOCA funds, which come from penalties paid by convicted federal defendants. They argue the new rules would violate federal law, undermine confidentiality programs for victims, and expose survivors to further harm.
“This attempted funding cut is not just illegal, it’s dangerous,” Nessel said. “Crime victims didn’t ask to be in this political war, and we shouldn’t allow them to bear the brunt of it.”
The multistate coalition is asking a federal court to permanently block the Trump Administration’s conditions on VOCA grants.
