Attorney General Raoul Successfully Defends Critical Services For Sexual Assault And Domestic Violence Survivors

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 conti