President Donald Trump has officially reopened the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Victim Of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) office, a unit dedicated to serving American families impacted by crimes committed by illegal aliens. The move reverses President Joe Biden’s 2021 decision to dismantle the office and redirect its resources to assist illegal aliens seeking visas.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons announced the reinstatement of VOICE, highlighting its importance to Angel Families — Americans who have lost loved ones due to crimes committed by those unlawfully in the country. Noem called Biden’s closure of the office a direct affront to victims, stating, “They shut down the only resource that these families had to have a victim’s voice be heard.”
The VOICE office, first created by Trump in 2017, was intended to give a platform to victims and their families, helping them navigate the legal process and ensure justice was pursued. Biden’s administration transformed it into a hotline for illegal aliens seeking assistance after reporting crimes, a change Angel Families condemned as backdoor amnesty.
Angel Moms such as Sabine Durden Coulter and Maureen Maloney expressed deep gratitude for the restoration of VOICE. Durden Coulter, whose son Dominic was killed by a twice-convicted illegal alien drunk driver, called the office a lifeline. Maloney, who lost her son Matthew in a similar tragedy, said, “Our government failed us… Thank God President Trump was re-elected and the VOICE office has been restored.”
Noem also cited the recent case of 21-year-old Nate Baker, a University of South Carolina student allegedly killed by an illegal alien previously ordered deported under the Obama administration. She emphasized that the dangers of open-border policies span multiple administrations and that VOICE plays a critical role in supporting families still suffering the consequences.
Other Angel Families at the announcement included relatives of victims killed by gang members, drug cartels, and other violent offenders who entered the country illegally. Each family shared similar accounts of preventable loss and a system that failed to uphold immigration laws meant to protect citizens.
The reopening of the VOICE office reinforces the Trump administration’s pledge to prioritize law and order, defend national sovereignty, and stand with the American families who have borne the cost of unchecked illegal immigration.
