Office for Victims of Immigrant Crimes, Opened by Trump, Closed by Biden Administration
A U.S. office for helping victims of immigrant crimes opened by former President Donald Trump has been closed by President Joe Biden's administration, the administration announced Friday.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said that Trump's Victim Of Immigration Crime Engagement Office (VOICE) is being replaced by The Victims Engagement and Services Line and called it "a more comprehensive and inclusive victim support system."
The new agency will combine services already established such as methods for reporting abuse in immigration detention centers. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that "providing assistance to society's most vulnerable is a core American value. All people, regardless of their immigration status, should be able to access victim services without fear."
VOICE was created in January 2017 by Trump's executive order in one of his earliest moves as president. The closing of Trump's office follows orders Biden gave to U.S. officials in April to stop using terms like "illegal alien" and instead use "undocumented noncitizen," when referring to immigrants without a U.S. visa or those who have overstayed their visa.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below:
Dismantling VOICE is a move that symbolizes Biden's rejection of Trump's repeated efforts to link immigrants to crime.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it was replacing VOICE with "a more comprehensive and inclusive victim support system."
The Victims Engagement and Services Line will combine longstanding existing services, such as methods for people to report mistreatment in immigration detention centers and a notification system for lawyers and others with a vested interest in immigration cases.
The agency will also add a service for potential recipients of visas designated for victims of human trafficking or violent crimes in the United States.
The change of tone regarding immigration has been striking between the two administrations.
While there is scant evidence that immigrants perpetuate crime—and studies suggesting they are less likely to commit a crime—Trump relentlessly sought to establish a link between immigrants and crime.
He launched his 2016 presidential campaign by portraying Mexicans in the country illegally as violent criminals and frequently highlighted the MS-13 gang, which was started by Salvadoran immigrants.
To advance his immigration agenda, Trump invited "angel families"—people whose loved ones had been victims of crimes by immigrants—to campaign rallies and high-profile speeches.
While Trump used VOICE to link immigrants and crime, the agency appears to have little impact.
Its most recent quarterly report for the last three months of 2018 said it fielded 781 calls during the three-month period—and that just 256 of the calls pertained to services it offered. About half were for requests on the status of immigration cases, and many of the rest were for requests for victim assistance.
Vice President Kamala Harris drew strong criticism from some of the administration's pro-immigration allies for telling would-be migrants during a visit to Guatemala on Monday, "Do not come...Do not come," and that they would be denied entry at the U.S. border with Mexico.
