The New York Attorney General and a coalition of 20 Democratic states sued the US Department of Justice (DOJ) Wednesday for withholding federally funded services from domestic violence survivors who cannot verify their immigration status.

After receiving an initial email on August 18, the plaintiff states alleged that on September 15 they received another email notifying them of an update to the DOJ Grants Financial Guide, which mandated that:

Except as indicated in the following sentence, costs of providing legal services (that is, professional services of the kind lawfully provided only by individuals licensed to practice law) to any removable alien (see 8 U.S.C. § 1229a(e)(2)) or any alien otherwise unlawfully present in the United States are disallowed and may not be charged against the award.

Grant programs from which funds have been withheld include the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) program, which provides “mental health services, victim advocacy, accompaniment to court proceedings, relocation services, forensic medical examinations, and direct legal assistance.” VOCA also has Victim Compensation Formula grants that compensate the victim with medical costs, crime scene cleanup, and other services incurred by the victim. In addition, the Violence Against Women Act codifies services, “including legal services directed toward ‘populations underserved because of’ among other factors, ‘alienage status.'”

“With this cruel attempt to dictate which survivors deserve access to legal supports, DOJ is endangering families, silencing survivors, and threatening public safety. I will not stand idly by while the federal government unjustly attacks people seeking protection from violence. We are asking the court to block this illegal rule before it takes effect, immeasurably harming survivors.” stated New York Attorney General Letita James in a press release.