This bill would change the Victims of Crime Act so that certain "angel families" can get compensation through state victim compensation programs. The bill defines "angel family" as the immediate family of a person killed by (1) an individual unlawfully present as described in section 212(a)(6)(A)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, or (2) a member of an international criminal organization involved in international drug trafficking. Eligible payments for angel families would include medical expenses (including mental health care), loss of wages for emotional distress, and funeral expenses. The bill also creates a Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office inside Title I of the Homeland Security Act. That office would be led by a Director and would operate a hotline, help victims and family members register for custody-status notifications, provide releasable criminal or immigration history about the alleged offender, refer victims to social service providers, offer immediate services, collect service metrics, conduct a case study, and deliver an annual report to Congress with information such as victim and offender demographics, crime locations, crime types, and whether offenders committed multiple crimes.
No publicly available information on total costs, appropriations, or budget estimates appears in the provided bill text. The bill would authorize grants and create a new federal office, but the text does not specify funding levels or detailed fiscal effects.
The bill text frames the changes as providing compensation and support services to families of homicide victims who were killed by unlawfully present individuals or by members of international drug-trafficking organizations. It also seeks to create a central office and hotline to give timely information, referrals, and reporting to improve services for those victims and families.
No publicly available information about opponents' views or formal objections appears in the provided bill text or metadata.