Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul secured an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) ensuring the DOJ will not apply harmful restrictions to critical Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) services supporting survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Last month, Attorney General Raoul co-led a coalition of 20 other attorneys general suing the DOJ over unlawful new conditions that threatened to cut off critical legal services for survivors who could not immediately prove their immigration status. As a result of the lawsuit, the DOJ reversed course and today agreed to a binding resolution guaranteeing the federal government will not apply the restrictions to states’ VOCA Victim Assistance and VAWA funds and ensuring that survivors can continue to rely on these crucial supports, regardless of immigration status.  

“It is a relief that survivors of crime will not have to worry about losing critical services because of a harmful Department of Justice immigration restriction,” Raoul said. “I will continue to work to protect federal funding for programs that survivors of violent crimes rely upon to help them recover from the physical and emotional trauma they have endured.” 

For decades, the VAWA and VOCA programs have enabled states to support survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and other violent crimes. These grants fund services such as legal representation for protective orders, custody and visitation matters, child support, housing and relocation assistance, and civil legal assistance that helps survivors escape abuse and rebuild their lives. VAWA also funds rape crisis centers that provide urgent support to victims of sexual assault. Congress deliberately designed these programs to reach every eligible survivor, regardless of immigration status, because public safety depends on ensuring that all victims can seek help, report crimes and rebuild their lives without fear.   

Raoul and the coalition filed the lawsuit after the DOJ informed states they could no longer use VAWA or VOCA funding to provide legal services to undocumented immigrants. The new “Legal Services Condition” applied not only to future awards, but also to grants that had already been issued, some dating back years. The attorneys general warned that the restriction would impose severe burdens on service providers, who do not collect or verify immigration status, and that forcing survivors to produce proof of status before receiving help would be dangerous and potentially impossible.  

As a result of the lawsuit, the DOJ has now agreed that the challenged restriction cannot and will not be applied to any current VOCA Victim Assistance or VAWA grant awards. Based on this binding stipulation, Attorney General Raoul and the coalition are voluntarily dismissing their lawsuit without prejudice, preserving the ability to refile if the DOJ attempts to revive this unlawful restriction in the future.

This is the latest victory in Raoul’s efforts to protect public safety and fight back against unlawful federal actions that could endanger Illinois residents. In July, Attorney General Raoul announced that following his lawsuit the Trump administration committed to exempting Illinois and the other plaintiff states from its illegal plans to distribute thousands of machine-gun conversion devices into communities across the United States. In September, The District Court for the District of Rhode Island entered a final judgment in favor of Raoul and 20 other attorneys general and against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which had threatened to withhold billions in federal funding for emergency services. 

Also in September, Raoul secured a temporary restraining order to block the Trump administration from unlawfully reallocating federal homeland security funding away from states based on their compliance with the administration’s political agenda. And in October, the DOJ dropped its plan to impose illegal conditions on nearly $1.4 billion in Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants after Attorney General Raoul led a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing a multistate lawsuit against the DOJ.

Joining Attorney General Raoul in this stipulation are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Rhode Island and Washington.