Attorney General Kwame Raoul moved Monday to block President Donald Trump’s administration from stripping Illinois and other states in the president’s immigration doghouse of millions of dollars in federal funding for crime victims.
Raoul and 20 other Democratic attorneys general are co-plaintiffs in a new federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over plans to make crime victim grants contingent on states’ willingness to assist federal immigration authorities.
The lawsuit filed in Rhode Island is the latest in a series of clashes between Illinois, which has positioned itself as a “sanctuary” state for those without legal status, and the federal government.
Under Illinois’ TRUST Act, police are greatly limited in how they cooperate with federal authorities for the purpose of immigration enforcement, and Trump’s move puts more than $50 million at risk for the state.
At a virtual press conference Monday, Raoul called Trump’s efforts unlawful and immoral, saying the administration’s policies are making immigrants victims and witnesses of crime reluctant to come forward.
Federal crime victims’ funds “have no relationship — no relationship — to civil immigration policy,” Raoul said. “In fact, grants are distributed based on a statutory formula that has nothing to do with immigration.”
The federal Victims of Crime Act was passed 40 years ago. Under that law, states including Illinois direct funds to an array of victim services, including transitional housing, child advocacy centers and domestic violence shelters.
Raoul’s office recommended $38 million in victim compensation between 2022 and 2024. The state stands to lose $54 million already allocated for the current fiscal year.
“Even as the president laments the rampant crime he claims has taken over our cities, his Department of Justice is threatening to withhold money that helps states address violent crime,” Raoul said.
Raoul is no stranger to taking the president and his cabinet members to court. To date, Illinois’ attorney general has filed 35 lawsuits over Trump’s policies — from dismantling the U.S. Department of Education to getting rid of birthright citizenship.
“We cannot become complacent to the cruelty that has been the hallmark of the Trump administration,” Raoul said. “We will not stop fighting the illegal policies coming out of the White House.”
Mawa Iqbal covers state government and politics for WBEZ. Follow @mawa_iqbal.