By Elliot Spagat - The Associated Press
The Government of Joe Biden announced this Friday the end of the government office created by former President Donald Trump to receive complaints from alleged victims of alleged crimes committed by immigrants, a measure that symbolizes the refusal to falsely link foreigners in this country with a higher crime rate.
Trump created the Office of Engagement with Victims of Immigration Crimes, known by its acronym in English, VOICE, by executive order during his first week in the White House in January 2017.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service reported this Friday that it will replace the office with a Victim Support and Services Line, combining long-standing services such as methods for people to report abuse and mistreatment in the centers of immigration detention and a notification system for attorneys and others with a vested interest in immigration cases.
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The new office will add a service for potential recipients of visas designated for victims of human trafficking or violent crime.
"Providing assistance to the most vulnerable in society is one of the most fundamental American values," said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, "all people, regardless of immigration status, should be able to access victim services. without fear".
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Stephen Miller, a key architect of Trump's immigration policies, called the decision to shut down VOICE a "moral stain on our nation's conscience."
A migrant is fingerprinted in the intake area at the Department of Homeland Security detention facility on March 30, 2021 in Donna, Texas.Dario Lopez-Mills - Pool / Getty Images
Although studies suggest that an immigrant is less likely to commit a crime than a person born in the United States, Trump tirelessly sought to establish a link.
For example, he launched his 2016 presidential campaign presenting Mexicans as violent criminals.
To advance his immigration agenda, Trump invited so-called "angel families," people whose loved ones have been victims of crimes committed by immigrants, to his high-profile speeches and campaign rallies.
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In any case, VOICE seems to have had little real impact.
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Its most recent quarterly report, from the end of 2018, says that it received 781 calls during that period, and that only 256 of those calls were relevant.
About half were questions about the status of immigration cases, and many of the remainder were referrals for assistance, such as social services to help cope with the impacts of domestic violence.