The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to solicit applications for up to $3.5 billion in grants focused primarily on immigration-related law enforcement programs, including facility construction, equipment, and personnel funding, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans.
These grants are expected to support a range of initiatives, such as building immigration detention centers, purchasing police surveillance technology, and hiring law enforcement staff. Some of the funds will also enable local prosecutors to serve temporarily as special assistant U.S. attorneys to assist the DOJ’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, which investigates fraud involving public benefits and illegal immigrants. A $300 million grant solicitation for these prosecutors was posted publicly on April 21, 2026.
Cuts and delays affecting non-law enforcement grants
This planned influx of law enforcement funding contrasts sharply with ongoing cuts and delays for other DOJ grants. Victim services organizations, juvenile justice programs, and criminal justice research initiatives have experienced terminations, delayed awards, and reallocated funding. Sources report that the DOJ is withdrawing millions of dollars from grants supporting victims services, hate crime prevention, substance abuse treatment, and other non-law enforcement programs to cover budget shortfalls elsewhere.
Claire Selib, executive director of the National Organization for Victim Advocacy, highlighted the consequences: “Programs are shutting down. They’re scaling back. Staff are being laid off.” The nonprofit has faced canceled grants and months-long delays in other award decisions.
Bill McKinney of the New Kensington Community Development Corporation in Philadelphia explained the impact of these cuts on his organization’s public health-driven anti-violence program, CURE Violence. Their $1.5 million grant was canceled last year, an appeal was denied recently, and the program faces closure by October 2026.
Grant program disruptions under current administration
The turmoil in DOJ grant programs began after the April 22, 2025 termination of more than 350 grants awarded during the previous administration. Many grantees were given 30 days to appeal, with some appeals still unresolved a year later. In addition to grant cancellations, the DOJ has experienced significant delays in soliciting applications for congressional-mandated programs, attributable to staffing cuts and an executive order requiring additional political review before awards are made.
For example, the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG), which funds local police departments, did not begin soliciting fiscal 2025 applications until March 13, 2026. The National Institute of Justice has solicited only three research grants since the current administration took office.
Funding reallocations and legislative context
Despite congressional appropriations increasing budgets for DOJ offices like Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), funding has been cut in other areas to support immigration courts, prisons, and litigation offices. The DOJ approved a $75 million transfer out of grant funds earlier in 2026 and notified Congress of potential additional transfers totaling nearly $96 million.
These transfers affect grants aimed at combating human trafficking, hate crimes, sexual assault kit backlogs, child exploitation, and substance abuse treatment. This is occurring even with Congressional limits on how much grant money the DOJ can use for non-grant activities.
To offset funding gaps, the DOJ is relying on approximately $3.5 billion allocated by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, designated to reimburse states for immigration-related enforcement from 2021 to 2028. This act also provides funding for COPS and Byrne JAG grants, but with new restrictions: funds cannot go to violence prevention programs, and law enforcement recipients must cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Why it matters
The DOJ’s pivot toward large-scale law enforcement funding, especially immigration enforcement, amid simultaneous cuts to victim services and prevention programs, raises concerns about the balance of resources dedicated to public safety. Advocacy groups warn that essential supports for survivors of violence and vulnerable populations are being undermined exactly as those services are needed. The delays and uncertainty in grant awards also disrupt community programs’ ability to plan and operate effectively.
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