The VOICE Restoration Act would recreate the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office (VOICE) within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The office would provide targeted support to victims and witnesses of crimes committed by aliens who are present in the United States without lawful status, as well as their families and legal representatives acting on their behalf. Key features include a victim-centered approach, outreach to raise awareness of services, and the establishment of a dedicated toll-free hotline, local contacts, and referrals to social service resources. The bill also authorizes sharing certain information with victims (such as custody status updates and, in some cases, criminal or immigration history) to aid them. It requires VOICE to publish quarterly reports to Congress, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the President within 180 days of enactment and on an ongoing basis to study the effects of victimization by illegal aliens.
Key Points
- 1Establishes the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office (VOICE) within ICE to assist victims and witnesses of crimes committed by aliens present in the U.S. without lawful status, as well as their families and, where requested, their legal representatives.
- 2Duties include providing a victim-centered approach, raising awareness of available services, and building partnerships with community stakeholders that assist these individuals.
- 3Authorized assistance includes a dedicated toll-free VOICE hotline, local contacts for unique requests, referrals to social service professionals, help signing up for automated custody status information about the alien in custody, and access to additional criminal or immigration history about the alien for victims/families.
- 4Requires VOICE to publish quarterly reports to Congress, the DHS Secretary, and the President not later than 180 days after enactment and on an ongoing basis to study the effects of victimization by aliens described in the act.
- 5Scope covers victims and witnesses described in the act, as well as legal representatives acting at a victim’s or witness’s request.