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BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today secured an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) ensuring DOJ will not apply alarming 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 Brown and a coalition of 20 other attorneys general sued DOJ over unlawful new conditions that threatened to cut off certain critical legal services for survivors who could not prove their immigration status. As a result of the lawsuit, 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 legal supports, regardless of immigration status.
“This agreement protects every survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence, regardless of their immigration status, and ensures they can continue to access these vital legal services,” said Attorney General Brown. “By reversing these unlawful restrictions, we’re safeguarding not just individual survivors but entire communities that depend on victims being able to come forward, seek help, and heal.”
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 custody and visitation matters, child support, housing and relocation assistance, and civil legal assistance that helps survivors escape abuse and rebuild their lives. To support victims of crime, Maryland law requires the state budget to ensure that VOCA Victim Assistance programs are funded at $60 million annually, through a combination of state and federal funds. 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.
In October, the coalition filed a lawsuit after DOJ informed states that they could no longer use VAWA or VOCA funding to provide certain 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 attorneys generals’ lawsuit, DOJ has now agreed that the challenged restriction cannot and will not be applied to any current VOCA Victim Assistance or VAWA grant awards. This means that Maryland organizations receiving VOCA Victim Assistance or VAWA grant awards may continue to provide legal services without having to adopt onerous citizenship verification processes. Based on this binding stipulation, Attorney General Brown and the coalition are voluntarily dismissing their lawsuit without prejudice, preserving the ability to refile if DOJ attempts to revive this unlawful restriction in the future.
Joining Attorney General Brown in this stipulation are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Rhode Island, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
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