Chicago Declines DOJ Violence-Prevention Grants, Calls Policy a Politicization of Public Safety

Chicago announced it will not apply for federal community violence intervention grants after the U.S. Department of Justice retooled the program to emphasize law enforcement hiring and cooperation on immigration enforcement. City officials said the new conditions politicize public safety and conflict with the original intent of community-based violence prevention.

Mayor Brandon Johnson's press office said, 'The city of Chicago does not intend to apply for any federal grants that require the city to comply with President Trump's political aims.' The DOJ confirmed it has shifted the grant program away from directly funding local community organizations and toward supporting law enforcement capacity.

What changed

In late September the DOJ revised the Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative so community organizations can no longer receive direct awards, services for undocumented residents are barred, and total program funding was cut to $34.6 million. The grants were first funded in 2022 with $50 million for CVI and an additional $50 million allocated over five years under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

'The rewrite reflects our belief that the best way to prevent violence in our communities is through robust support for law enforcement,' a DOJ statement said, noting the funding will also support hiring officers, purchasing equipment and building criminal justice system capacity.

Reactions and concerns

City officials, community interventionists and former DOJ officials said the changes depart from the program's original purpose of directing resources to community-led violence prevention efforts. Mayor Johnson described the DOJ's earlier April decision to rescind more than $800 million in violence-prevention funding as politically motivated.

'Now, the funds must pass through a government agency,' said Jordan Costa, associate director for the Giffords Center for Violence Intervention, noting that community-based groups would be limited to subrecipient roles and likely face the same mandates as government entities.

Critics called the changes an overreach by an administration that has prioritized immigration enforcement. 'I don't know how tying immigration into gang violence intervention even makes sense,' said Reneé Hall, president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, calling the shift another effort to advance the administration's agenda.

A White House spokesperson, Abigail Jackson, said the administration has been successful in addressing dangerous crime and dismissed suggestions otherwise as 'false and uninformed.'

Chicago is the only city so far to say publicly it will not apply for the revised funding. Other municipalities, including Newark, New Jersey, and Columbia, South Carolina, told officials they plan to proceed with applications. In Columbia, Deputy Chief Melron Kelly said his department submitted an application and is seeking clarity about what cooperation with immigration enforcement would require: 'There are always some parameters when you ask for federal dollars — but not specific to how you're going to enforce the law or what laws to enforce.'

Chicago previously sued the federal government over what city officials called 'illegal restrictions' tied to other community policing grants. The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Chicago's decision.

By Bianca Flowers