Twenty states and Colombia district on Monday sued the Department of Justice, which was to add a new immigration enforcement rule to federal grants, which assisted the victims of crime – arguing that it is part of action against the “Sanctuary states” of Trump administration.
The lawsuit focuses at the office for the victims of the crime, a 42 -year -old division of the Department of Justice, which assigns more than $ 1 billion to all 50 states per year to all 50 states to compensate for crime victims and fund programs such as local crisis counseling centers, emergency shelters, domestic misconduct hotline and victim advocacy services.
Trump-era justice department A new position pair For those grants that refuse to fund any program that “violates or promotes or promotes or promotes or promotes them.” In which “which includes a failure to reach” [Department of Homeland Security] Agent, or honor DHS request. ,
But in the states involved in Monday’s trial, it has been argued that the rules are illegal, as the Reagan-era law established the crime-victim grant programs of the federal government, which does not say anything about immigration enforcement.
“The challenged situation will bring these states to an unstable position: Either to seize access to important resources for weak crime victims and their families, or accept illegal conditions, allow the federal government to implement the state and local authorities to implement the federal immigration law,” the states and DC argued in the federal court in the road island.
Most Democratic states joined the suits including California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota and Colorado. According to the trial, collectively, he has received more than $ 500 million per year in crime -affected grants since 2021.
The states asked a federal judge to block the new rules and declare them illegal. He said that he needs “immediate relief” as applications for most grants are going to be held on Wednesday.
The Department of Justice refused to comment on the trial.
As President Trump dramatically tries to increase the arrest of suspected unspecified immigrants, his administration has targeted the so -called sanctuary cities and states, which usually limit the local police from cooperating with federal immigration agents.
Within a few hours of his swearing -in on January 20, the President signed an executive order and directed the authorities to ensure that sanctuarial jurisdles “do not get access to federal funds.” Week later, Attorney General Palm Bandi Ordered The Department of Justice identified and stopped the grants that “services or provide services to removable or illegal aliens”.
The administration argues that sanctuaries make it difficult to enforce the city and state immigration laws, especially against criminals who end in state or local custody.
However, supporters of the sanctuary laws argue that forcing local law enforcement officers to work with immigration agents, migrants are less likely to cooperate with the police. Monday’s trial states that due to the conditions of crime victims, “it is important to destroy the confidence between law enforcement and immigrant communities and to prevent and respond to crime.”
“The federal government is trying to force the states to bid on immigration enforcement, as a new York Attorney General Latitia James said in a statement,” The federal government is trying to force the states to bid. “
Earlier this year, the Department of Justice cut hundreds of federal grant programs, including money for non -profit organizations, which help victims of hatred crimes, sex trafficking and violence against children, CBS NewsHeads of some non -profit institutions warned that they would need to close the staff or shutter -affected hotline.
At that time, a spokesman of the Department of Justice told CBS News: “We are confident that these deductions are in line with the preferences of the administration, while at the same time protect the services that affect the victims.”
A group of anti-domestic-violence non-profit organizations also sued the Department of Justice earlier this year, which is banning the grant fund under the grant fund under violence for groups promoting “gender ideology” or diversity, equity and inclusion programs. One judge Prevented That rule.
