Kristi Noem Reopens ICE Office To Support Families Who’ve Lost Loved Ones To Illegal Alien Crime
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has officially reopened the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office—an agency first launched under President Donald Trump in 2017—to support American families who have lost loved ones due to crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
Standing alongside angel families at ICE headquarters, Noem announced that the office would begin immediate operations to provide resources, legal support, and real-time enforcement updates to victims’ families. The office will also relaunch a dedicated hotline to ensure these families receive timely information on custody status and immigration proceedings tied to their cases.
“We are reestablishing VOICE to give a voice back to families who have been silenced by crime and ignored by politicians more interested in open borders than in American lives,” Noem said. “Every one of these tragedies was preventable—and under President Trump, we’re putting a stop to them.”
Noem did not mince words about the consequences of lax border policies under the Biden administration, blaming the prior White House for allowing violent criminals, gang members, and individuals on terrorist watchlists to pour across the southern border. She highlighted that since President Trump resumed office, more than 800 members of the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua have already been deported.
The VOICE Office was originally created by executive order in 2017 to provide assistance to Americans impacted by crimes committed by illegal aliens. However, the Biden administration dismantled it in 2021 and replaced it with a broader victim services line that critics said diluted the purpose and ignored the specific pain experienced by angel families.
Supporters of VOICE argue that the program is vital, not only as a support system but as a national reminder that every life lost to preventable crime is one too many. Critics, mostly from the open-border left, have attempted to downplay or politicize the office, claiming it stigmatizes immigrants—despite the fact that VOICE’s sole purpose is to support grieving families and uphold the law.
Noem pushed back on those criticisms, saying, “We don’t apologize for protecting Americans. We don’t apologize for supporting victims. And we won’t apologize for holding illegal criminals accountable.”
The reopening of VOICE is just the latest move in a broader Trump administration effort to restore strong immigration enforcement and put American citizens first. For the families who have suffered unimaginable loss, it’s a long-overdue return to justice, accountability, and compassion.