BALTIMORE, Md. — On Friday, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced that the U.S. Department of Justice has dropped its plan to impose conditions on more than a billion dollars' worth of grants nationwide.
In August, Maryland joined several other states in suing the Justice Department over restricting access to Victims of Crime Act grant funds unless they comply with immigration conditions.
"The Trump administration's attempt to hold these critical funds hostage to advance its political agenda was unlawful, and we're pleased that our lawsuit forced them [to] abandon this harmful scheme and free up more than $23 million that Maryland communities depend on to keep people safe," said Brown in a statement.
Victims of Crime Act grant money goes toward services and resources to crime victims and survivors.
According to the Office of the Attorney General, 9 million victims are helped by these funds and programs nationwide.
“Thanks to our lawsuit, survivors of crime will continue to get the resources they need to rebuild and heal from traumatic events that disrupted their lives," added Brown.
