H.R. 47

119th CONGRESS 1st Session

To establish the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office within the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES · January 3, 2025 · Sponsor: Mr. Bergman · Committee: Committee on the Judiciary

Table of contents

• H.R. 47
  • SEC. 1. Short title
  • SEC. 2. Findings
  • SEC. 3. Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office

SEC. 1. Short title

• This Act may be cited as the or as the .

SEC. 2. Findings

• Congress finds the following:
  • In April 2017, the United States Department of Homeland Security launched the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office (VOICE) in response to the Executive Order 13768 issued by President Donald J. Trump entitled Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States, which directed DHS to create an office to support victims of crimes committed by criminal aliens.
  • In June 2021, the United States Department of Homeland Security terminated VOICE pursuant to the Executive order on the Revision of Civil Immigration Enforcement Policies and Priorities issued by President R. Joseph Jr.

SEC. 3. Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office

• (a) Establishment
  • There is established the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office (hereinafter in this Act referred to as ) within the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which shall provide assistance to victims of crimes committed by aliens present in the United States without lawful status under the immigration laws, in addition to witnesses and legal representatives of individuals acting at the request of a victim or witness. VOICE
• (b) Duties
  • The duties of VOICE are to do the following:
    • Use a victim-centered approach to acknowledge and support persons who are victims or witnesses described in subsection (a) and their families.
    • Promote awareness of available services to such persons.
    • Build collaborative partnerships with community stakeholders assisting such persons.
• (c) Assistance
  • The types of assistance authorized to be provided by VOICE to such persons impacted by crimes committed by aliens described in subsection (a) includes—
    • the establishment and operation of a dedicated toll-free VOICE Hotline to answer questions from victims;
    • local contacts to help with unique requests from such persons;
    • access to social service professionals able to refer victims to resources and service providers;
    • assistance signing up to receive automated custody status information regarding an alien described in subsection (a) held in custody; and
    • additional criminal or immigration history may be available about an illegal alien to victims or their families.
• (d) Report
  • Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, VOICE shall publish quarterly reports to Congress, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the President of the United States studying the effects of the victimization by aliens described in subsection (a) present in the United States.