MAINE, USA — The U.S. Department of Justice is dropping its plan to require states to help with federal immigration enforcement in order to receive nearly $1.4 billion in grants for crime victims, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said Monday.

Maine is one of 20 states that sued the Justice Department over the policy . The DOJ had said states would not get Victims of Crime Act funds unless they devoted resources to assist the Department of Homeland Security with immigration enforcement.

State officials argued that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, "not a bargaining chip for the Trump Administration to commandeer state resources," according to Frey.

The funding provides essential services to crime victims, including emergency shelter, medical and funeral costs, victim

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