Office for Victims of Immigration Crime

Full Title:
VOICE Restoration Act

Summary#

This bill would re-establish the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office (VOICE) inside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). VOICE would provide services and information to people victimized by crimes committed by noncitizens who are in the United States without lawful status. The bill requires VOICE to report to Congress, the DHS Secretary, and the President on effects of those victimizations.

  • Main change: creates a permanent VOICE office within ICE to help victims, witnesses, and their legal representatives when the alleged offender is a noncitizen without lawful status.
  • Services authorized: a toll‑free hotline, local contacts, referrals to social services, help signing up for automated custody-status notices, and possible access to additional criminal or immigration history about the alleged offender.
  • Approach: requires a “victim‑centered” approach, outreach to raise awareness of services, and partnerships with community groups.
  • Reporting: VOICE must publish quarterly reports beginning within 180 days after the law takes effect that study effects of victimization by noncitizens without lawful status.

What it means for you#

  • Crime victims and families: If you were harmed by someone in the U.S. without lawful immigration status, VOICE could offer a hotline, local contacts, referrals to social service providers, and help getting custody-status alerts for the alleged offender. The office could also provide additional criminal or immigration history information, where available.
  • Witnesses and legal representatives: Witnesses and lawyers acting at a victim’s request could use VOICE services listed above.
  • Community service organizations: VOICE would be expected to build partnerships with groups that assist victims. That could mean more coordination with local nonprofits, legal aid groups, and victim-service providers.
  • Local law enforcement and ICE: Agencies may interact more with an ICE office that coordinates victim notifications and information sharing. The bill does not detail changes to law-enforcement procedures.
  • General public: The bill does not change criminal laws or remove immigration penalties. It creates an office to assist certain victims and to produce regular reports on victimization by noncitizens without lawful status.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

  • The bill does not include a funding amount or a fiscal estimate.
  • Likely cost areas include staff salaries, a toll-free hotline, technology to deliver automated custody-status alerts, and costs to prepare quarterly reports.
  • There may be additional costs for coordination with community organizations and for any privacy or data‑handling systems needed to share criminal or immigration history.
  • It is unclear whether existing ICE funds would be used or whether new appropriations would be required.

Proponents' View#

  • The bill appears intended to restore an office that existed from 2017 to 2021 to help victims of crimes by people present without lawful immigration status.
  • A possible argument for the bill is that a dedicated office can give victims clear points of contact and faster access to information and services.
  • The victim-centered language, hotline, and referrals could be seen as improving support and awareness of services for affected victims and families.
  • Requiring quarterly reports could be seen as increasing transparency about the effects of these crimes.

Opponents' View#

  • One concern is that the bill focuses only on crimes by people without lawful status, which could single out a group and affect trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement.
  • The bill allows release of “additional criminal or immigration history” to victims but does not specify privacy safeguards or limits on what information can be shared.
  • It is unclear how VOICE would be funded and staffed; lack of a fiscal plan raises questions about whether existing victim services would be strained or duplicated.
  • The law does not explain what data or methods VOICE must use in its quarterly reports, so the usefulness and scope of those reports are unclear.
  • The bill does not detail oversight or independent review of VOICE’s activities, which could raise questions about accountability and how information is handled.