Attorney General Bonta Celebrates Key Victory in Lawsuit Challenging Illegal Conditioning of Victims of Crime Act Grant Funding

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced that following a multistate lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Trump Administration has now dropped its plan to impose illegal conditions on over $1.3 billion in Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants. Earlier this year, the Trump Administration, disregarding the clear letter of the law and intent of Congress, declared that states would be unable to access VOCA funds — used to support victims and survivors of crimes — unless they accede to the Trump Administration’s extreme immigration priorities. These grants are unrelated to federal civil immigration enforcement and are used by states to protect public safety and provide critical resources and services to victims and survivors of crime, including victims of domestic violence. For fiscal year 2025, California is expected to receive over $165 million in grant funds — with no unlawful immigration enforcement conditions placed on them. 

“The Trump Administration is backing down again on it’s illegal efforts to tie crime victim support funding to states’ participation in federal immigration enforcement,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Let me be clear: We will not be bullied into doing the federal government’s bidding, and our communities are not safer when we take resources and support services away from victims of crimes. This is another important victory for California’s communities.”

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.

In California, federal VOCA funds and associated state funds are used to support various victim assistance efforts across 35 programs, including through: 

• The California Department of Justice's Victims’ Services Unit (VSU), which provides victim-centered and trauma-informed responses and services to all victims, survivors, and their families. When Californians experience victimization — including sexual assault, robbery, a hate crime, or domestic violence — VSU provides services, supports, and referrals to connect people with resources and services that meet their needs. In fiscal year 2023-24, VSU provided services to 1,285 individuals.
• Victim Witness Assistance Centers at district attorney’s offices in each of California’s 58 counties that provide comprehensive services including crisis intervention support, emergency assistance, court escorts, and direct counseling to victims and witnesses of violent crime. In fiscal year 2023-24, Victim Witness Assistance Centers provided services to over 279,000 individuals.
• The Domestic Violence Assistance Program, which provides funding to 98 non-government organizations throughout California to provide comprehensive support, including emergency shelter, food, and clothing to victims of domestic violence and their children. This program also provides support and establishment of domestic violence services to unserved and underserved populations, including rural areas and geographic areas with limited access to services. In fiscal year 2023-24, subgrantees of the Domestic Violence Assistance Program served 118,695 individuals. 

Attorney General Bonta co-leads this lawsuit with New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha. They are joined by the attorneys general of Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.