People line Church Street as they join the City Hall Rally to Fight for our Sanctuary City event in downtown Rochester Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

Democratic attorneys general are suing the Trump administration over its attempt to condition federal funding for the victims of crimes on states’ cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

In a suit filed on Aug. 18 in Rhode lsland, the attorneys general called the move a brazen attempt by the Justice Department to “strong-arm” states into supporting President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

“We won’t be bullied or manipulated by the Trump administration,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta told reporters.

The Trump administration has threatened to sue and withhold federal funds from more than 20 "sanctuary" states, cities and counties, because of their lack of cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

"Sanctuary policies impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an Aug. 5 statement.

There's no specific legal definition of a sanctuary city, state or other jurisdiction, but Bondi's office criticized policies like failing to collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, providing government benefits to undocumented immigrants or refusing to share immigration information about jail detainees.

The states argue the administration can’t threaten to withhold the more than $1 billion in federal grants from a program created in 1984 to bolster support for crime victims.

The grants fund compensation programs to cover such costs as medical bills, funeral costs and lost wages for survivors. The federal funding also pays for counseling, emergency shelter, crisis hotlines and legal support.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said the administration is using the victims of gun violence, domestic violence, sexual assault survivors and others as political pawns. The attorneys general are asking a judge to block the administration from imposing new estrictions on the funding, arguing the money has already been approved by Congress.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democratic-led states sue Trump admin over restrictions on funding for victims of crimes

Reporting by Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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