WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem relaunched an office begun during the first Trump administration to crack down on illegal immigrant crime and assist so-called “angel families” whose loved ones have been victimized.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office will assist those families with resources and referrals for legal aid, inform them about enforcement actions against the perpetrator as well as their custody status, and set up a hotline for crime victims.
“We have enemies living among us because of what the Biden administration has done by opening our borders,” Noem said at ICE headquarters Wednesday, joined by several angel family members — including Alexis Nungaray, whose 12-year-old daughter Jocelyn was raped and murdered by Tren de Aragua gang members.
“They have allowed terrorists, people that are on the terrorist watch list, dangerous criminals, gang members, and criminals to enter our country and to perpetuate violence on American families, and that is going to stop now.”
Patty Morin, whose 37-year-old daughter Rachel was allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador in 2023, has been one of many angel moms defending Trump for targeting the migrant criminals — including through his invocation of a wartime authority to deport Tren de Aragua gang members.
Another angel mom, Maureen Maloney, emotionally shared how her son Matthew was killed in 2011 by an illegal immigrant who was driving a truck without a driver’s license.
“My beautiful son, Matthew, was 23 and had just graduated college and had his whole life ahead of him,” Maloney said.
“The illegal alien ran through a stop sign in the residential area and collided with Matthew’s motorcycle. Matthew survived the collision and was getting up out of the street when the illegal alien fled, and when he did, he ran Matthew over,” she went on.
“Matthew became lodged in the truck wheel well. And he was dragged to his death while witnesses were pleading with the driver to stop and banging on his truck. The driver never stopped. Matthew became dislodged. The illegal alien backed up over him again and continued to flee,” she recounted.
“To the angel parents, I’m saddened and angered at your loss — and my heart weeps for you,” she added.
Noem said Wednesday that at least 800 gangbangers from the vicious Venezuelan group have been deported since President Trump took office.
Trump, 78, set up VOICE via executive order when he first took office in January 2017 to support victims of crimes committed by immigrants and their families.
But former President Joe Biden closed the office in June 2021, with ICE citing a turn toward a “more comprehensive and inclusive victim support system” known as the Victims Engagement and Services Line.
That office still allowed Americans to report crimes — including alleged abuses at immigration detention centers — even for those without visas.
“All people, regardless of their immigration status, should be able to access victim services without fear,” then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had said in a statement.
Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who now serves as White House deputy chief of staff, fired back that the effort amounted to “a call center to help drug dealers get lawyers and amnesty for their crimes.”
Pro-immigration advocacy groups have often pointed to studies showing that immigrants commit crimes at far lower rates than the US populace.
Allies of the 47th president have responded that migrant crimes are entirely avoidable with a secure border and proper vetting procedures in place.
“We’ve heard far too many stories about American lives that were taken because of illegal aliens who should have never been here in the first place,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Wednesday.
In October 2024, Border Patrol sources disclosed to The Post that more than 300 migrants on the terror watchlist had been apprehended during Biden’s term.
Since taking office, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has faulted the Biden administration for locking up just eight of the more than 100 migrants with suspected links to the terror group ISIS.
Border crossings hit record highs the year before, forcing Biden to backpedal on some of his lax immigration policies as he sought reelection in early 2024.
“President Trump is righting the ship and he’s reopening this office,” Noem said, “and he’s going to prioritize not only these families but all the families that will be impacted by illegal immigration and the tragedy of losing someone because of the consequences of it.”
