ICE closes Trump-era office targeting immigrant crime victims

(CNN) – The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) closed the Trump-era office that aimed to target victims of crimes involving undocumented immigrants, another move the Biden administration has taken to distance itself from the president’s immigration policies. Donald Trump.

ICE announced Friday that it was closing the Office for Victims of Immigration Crimes, or VOICE, and replacing it with a new program to provide support to victims regardless of the immigration status of the victim or perpetrator.

“All people, regardless of their immigration status, should be able to access victim services without fear,” National Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

The Trump administration launched the Victim Support Office in April 2017 in compliance with the former president’s decree on immigration. The office’s formation came after Trump’s repeated public comments linking immigrants and criminals, most notably a speech in which he referred to Mexicans as criminals and “rapists.”

Critics at the time said the office was part of several measures that would skew public opinion negatively against immigrants.

Former Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said the office’s goal was to provide resources and support to families he said had previously been unheard of.

The Biden administration’s revamped program, called the Victims Engagement and Services Line, will include visa guidance for immigrants who are victims of crime or human trafficking.