Attorney General Tong Wins Major Case Protecting Crucial Law Enforcement Funding

11/05/2026

(Hartford, CT) — Attorney General William Tong and a multistate coalition of 23 states this week secured an important court victory to stop the federal government’s imposition of unlawful immigration-enforcement conditions on Congressionally-authorized public safety grants, including grants intended to keep law enforcement officers safe and fight crime.

District of Rhode Island Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. declared the Trump Administration’s actions unlawful and permanently enjoined any implementation or enforcement of these illegal conditions.

“Donald Trump has tried again and again to defund Connecticut law enforcement over irrelevant and extreme immigration conditions. Last year, we sued and we won to stop him from defunding support for victims of crime. We just won another major lawsuit to protect one of the most important sources of federal funding for local police personnel and equipment. We’re going to keep fighting for as long as we need to protect public safety,” said Attorney General Tong.

Last year, the Trump Administration, disregarding the clear letter of the law and intent of Congress, declared that states would be unable to access Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds unless they agreed to the Administration’s extreme immigration demands. The multistate coalition succeeded in getting the federal government to remove those conditions on over $1.3 billion of VOCA funds.

However, this year, the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) has applied these illegal conditions to new grants, including funds dedicated to law enforcement and juvenile justice.

Among the affected programs is the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Formula Grants (known as the Byrne JAG Program). For decades, regardless of which political party held power, the Byrne JAG Program has been the leading federal source of criminal justice funding to state and local governments.

Connecticut was awarded more than $6.8 million in Byrne JAG funds and $5.1 million in Byrne State Crisis Intervention Formula Program (SCIP) funds between FY2022 and 2025.

Civil immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and not a state government responsibility. The Trump Administration’s unlawful attempts to coerce states into doing their bidding conflict with core principles of American governance – the separation of powers and federalism. The Administration’s actions violated laws passed by Congress as well as the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

This lawsuit was co-led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha. It was joined by the Attorneys General of Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, as well as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

Facebook: CT Attorney General

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov

Consumer Inquiries:

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