[author: Laura Anne Schierhoff]

 

On April 26, 2017, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched a new office for Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE). This office acknowledges and serves the needs of crime victims and their families who have been impacted by crimes committed by removable criminal aliens. The office was explicitly called for in the President’s Executive Order titled, “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States,” dated January 25, 2017. According to the Department of Homeland Security’s news release, the key objectives of the VOICE office are to acknowledge and support victims and their families; promote awareness of the services that are available; build partnerships with victims’ assistance groups; and provide quarterly reports studying the effects of victimization by immigrants. ICE has established a toll-free hotline who will give callers access to automated information about the custody status of the immigrant who committed the crime.