In January President Trump took executive action to strip funding used to aid illegal aliens and reallocated it to a newly announced office dedicated to serving families and victims of their crimes.
"This office [Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office] will facilitate the engagement with victims and their families to ensure questions and concerns regarding immigration enforcement efforts are addressed," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said at the time, adding that the establishment of the office fulfills a campaign promise.
Today, that office officially opened its doors.
"With honor and integrity, we will support victims of crimes committed by criminal aliens through access to information and resources," the VOICE mission statement says. "The men and women comprising the VOICE Office will be guided by a singular, straightforward mission – to ensure victims and their families have access to releasable information about a perpetrator and to offer assistance explaining the immigration removal process. ICE wants to ensure those victimized by criminal aliens feel heard, seen and supported."
.@DHSgov ICE has established a toll-free hotline staffed with operators who will answer calls to ensure victims receive the support they need pic.twitter.com/1Q63cjHAKn
— ICE (@ICEgov) April 26, 2017
According to the office, the objectives for the program are the following:
1. Use a victim-centered approach to acknowledge and support immigration crime victims and their families.
2. Promote awareness of rights and services available to immigration crime victims.
3. Build collaborative partnerships with community stakeholders assisting immigration crime victims.
4. Provide quarterly reports studying the effects of the victimization by criminal aliens present in the United States.