The Trump administration is trying to illegally "strong-arm" states into supporting the president's immigration policies — deploying a "brazen" and "unlawful" strategy, in which the government tries to "manipulate" critical funding for crime victims and use it as a "bargaining chip," according to local attorneys general.

A coalition of 20 states and Washington, D.C. , filed a lawsuit on Monday in federal court to block the Department of Justice from withholding funds from crime victims in states that refuse to cooperate with civil immigration enforcement, saying action is "urgently needed" as the withholding of funding would cause "significant, imminent, and irreparable harm," according to the group's complaint . The states include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illi

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