Polis calls for return of Victims of Crime Act grant funding

By Elyse Apel
The Center Square

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is calling for the Trump administration to end restrictions it has put on Victims of Crime Act grants.

The funding in jeopardy, which has already been appropriated by Congress, totals more than a billion dollars.

“Coloradans know that politicizing support for crime victims is wrong,” Polis said. “The Trump administration’s decision to withhold these funds is cruel and makes our communities less safe.”

The U.S. Justice Department has declared that states will not be able to access Victims of Crime Act funding unless they agree to support the administration’s immigration enforcement.

Colorado is one of 20 states that have joined together in suing over these restrictions on the funding, calling it in their lawsuit “unprecedented conditions.”

The Victims of Crime Act was first enacted in 1984. Administered by the U.S. Department of Justice, the grants help fund a wide variety of programs including victim and witness advocacy services, emergency shelter, crime scene cleanup, sexual assault forensic exams, and medical, funeral and burial expenses.

In 2024, Colorado’s Office for Victims Programs received over $21 million in funding from Victims of Crime Acts grants. Funding is distributed to states based on fixed statutory formulas.

Polis said Colorado will continue to fight for the restoration of the funding.

“This federal funding should go toward helping survivors heal and get a fresh start,” Polis said. “Colorado will stand up for survivors and fight to ensure that every victim has access to the resources needed to recover.”

Colorado House Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, joined Polis in pushing back.

“As a domestic violence survivor, I know how life-saving these services are,” Duran said. “For Colorado families in crisis, VOCA funds mean having a safe place to sleep, access to counseling, or support navigating the justice system. It is unconscionable to use survivors as pawns in a political fight over immigration.”

She added that the Colorado legislature will work to protect services from being impacted by this federal funding pause.

Under the Trump administration’s conditions, to continue receiving the funding, Colorado must comply with immigration efforts by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Currently Colorado and its capital city Denver have been under scrutiny for their so-called sanctuary city policies, which limits their cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The U.S. Department of Justice recently released a list of “states, cities, and counties identified as having policies, laws, or regulations that impede enforcement of federal immigration laws.”

Colorado and Denver were both on that list.