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On February 20, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security created a new office called the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office. President Donald Trump ordered its creation in Executive Order 13768 dated January 25, 2017 and mentioned it during his joint address on February 28, 2017.

The office will act as a liaison between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the known victims of crimes committed by removable aliens. The liaison will facilitate engagement with the victims and their families to ensure they are provided information about the offender, including the offender's immigration and custody status, and that their questions and concerns regarding immigration enforcement efforts are addressed.

The VOICE office will issue quarterly reports regarding the supposed effects of the victimization by criminal aliens present in the United States.

Creation

The office was created pursuant to section 13 of the January 25, 2017 Executive Order 13768 - Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States which states:

Sec. 13. Office for Victims of Crimes Committed by Removable Aliens. The Secretary shall direct the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take all appropriate and lawful action to establish within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement an office to provide proactive, timely, adequate, and professional services to victims of crimes committed by removable aliens and the family members of such victims. This office shall provide quarterly reports studying the effects of the victimization by criminal aliens present in the United States.

Purpose and background

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The purpose of the office is to provide information about offenders to victims, and address questions and concerns of victims regarding immigration enforcement efforts. In a speech on February 28, 2017, President Trump discussed the new office and referred to the murders of Jamiel Shaw, Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver and Detective Michael Davis as victims of immigrant crime. President Trump asserted that victims of immigrant crime have been "ignored by our media, and silenced by special interests".

Criticism

The creation of the office was criticized for duplicating the mission of the existing Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) within the Department of Justice (DOJ), which was created in the 1980s and serves the victims of all types of crime. The executive director of the National Center for Victims of Crime said of the plan: "It's complete and utter duplication and there's no need. I'm not sure what this office would do or what services it would offer different than what is available at DOJ." Criminologist James Alan Fox, the Lipman Professor of Criminology, Law and Public Policy at Northeastern University, criticized the creation of VOICE, saying that it duplicated the mission of OVC.. True duplication is unlikely, however, due to the nature, purpose and timing of different founders, and should not be reason for such victims denial of entry to support offerings by VOICE.

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio and writer Peter Beinart have said that Trump's creation of the office is a form of scapegoating. Daniel Benjamin, a former U.S. State Department counterterrorism official now at Dartmouth College, wrote that the office was not intended to meet a real need, but rather was aimed at promoting the view that immigrants are dangerous.

The Washington Post fact checked Trump's claims regarding illegal immigration and crime and found that "the vast majority of illegal immigrants do *not fit Trump’s description of aggravated felons". The Post cited studies by the Congressional Research Service to back up its claims. Tessa Stuart of Rolling Stone stated, "The memo doesn't mention it, but presumably the same office would distribute the weekly list of criminal actions committed by undocumented immigrants that Trump promised in a recent executive order."

See also

• Illegal immigration to the United States
• Immigration policy of Donald Trump
• List of executive actions by Donald Trump

References

1. "DHS Orders Creation of VOICE Office to Help Victims of Criminal Aliens". Fox News. February 21, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
2. ^ "Enforcement of the Immigration Laws to Serve the National Interest" (PDF). Department of Homeland Security. February 20, 2017. p. 4. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
3. Griffin, Andrew (March 1, 2017). "Donald Trump creates Voice agency to publish list of crimes by immigrants". The Independent. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
4. Kopan, Tal (March 1, 2017). "What is VOICE? Trump highlights crimes by undocumented immigrantsWhat is VOICE? Trump highlights crimes by undocumented immigrants". CNN. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
5. "Executive Order: Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States". The White House. Office of the Press Secretary. January 25, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
6. ^ Rhodan, Maya. "Trump Wants to Highlight Immigrant Crime. Democrats Aren't the Only Ones Booing". Time Magazine. Retrieved March 3, 2017. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)
7. "Transcript of President Trump's February 28, 2017 Speech". February 28, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
8. ^ Suzanne Gamboa, Advocates: Trump’s Immigrant Crime Office Is Political Bait, NBC News (March 1, 2017).
9. James Alan Fox, Five flaws in Trump's crime agenda: James Alan Fox, USA Today (March 1, 2017).
10. Azi Paybarah. "De Blasio: Trump 'scapegoating' on immigration could backfire". Politico.
11. "Trump Scapegoats Unauthorized Immigrants for Crime". The Atlantic. March 1, 2017.
12. Benjamin, Daniel (March 2, 2017). "Donald Trump Changed His Tone But Not His Message: Be Afraid". Time. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
13. Lee, Michelle (March 1, 2017). "Fact check: Trump claim on murders by unauthorized immigrants". Washington Post. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
14. "Why Trump's Immigration Policy Is a Legal Mess". March 2, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.

• 2017 establishments in the United States
• History of the United States (1991–present)
• Illegal immigration to the United States
• Internal affairs ministries
• Ministries established in 2017
• Organizations based in Washington, D.C.
• Organizations established in 2017
• Presidency of Donald Trump
• Public safety ministries
• United States federal executive departments
• United States Department of Homeland Security
• United States intelligence agencies
• Victims' rights