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What is the immigration crime hotline?

President Trump created the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) hotline last year in an apparent attempt to provide a voice to those who had been injured by the actions of immigrants.  Now, after a year of operation, VOICE is being used improperly as essentially a crime tip line. Further, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, who runs the hotline, has released private information about callers and the immigrants they accuse of committing crimes.  Our immigration attorneys discuss the flaws of VOICE and the potential dangers it holds to immigrants.

The Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE)

VOICE was established by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to serve the needs of crime victims affected by immigration related crimes.  The hotline is intended to allow crime victims to call and ask questions.  The government website highlights that VOICE is not a hotline to report a crime; rather, crime victims should contact their local law enforcement office or ICE directly to report an immigration related crime. 
While in theory a hotline to help the victims of crime should not have negative repercussions, VOICE has proven controversial due to its ties to ICE.  Last year, ICE violated the privacy of crime victims and immigrants by posting summaries of call logs on its website.  The summaries included sensitive information like the names and addresses of callers as well as the names of immigrants accused of being in the U.S. illegally or committing a crime.

With President Trump cracking down on immigration and deportation cases on the rise, immigrants need to be aware of the potential damaging effects of VOICE.  VOICE is in practice giving the public yet another avenue to report a person’s immigration status, potentially leading to deportation actions.  Immigrants nationwide should take steps to protect themselves and contact an immigration lawyer if they are concerned about their immigration status.

If you should have any questions or need more information about the ways in which U.S. Immigration and Nationality Laws may impact you, your family, your friends or your colleagues, please contact the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Lawyers at the NPZ Law Group – VISASERVE – U.S. Immigration and Nationality Lawyers by e-mailing us at info@visaserve.com or by calling us at 201-670-0006 (x107), or by visiting our Law Firm’s website at www.visaserve.com.