ICE consists of three directorates to accomplish the agency’s mission, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and Management and Administration (M&A).
ICE's primary mission is to promote homeland security and public safety through the criminal and civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade and immigration.
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ICE executes its mission through the enforcement of more than 400 federal statutes, focusing on preventing terrorism, immigration enforcement and combating transnational crime.
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) established the Victims Of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office to acknowledge and serve the needs of crime victims and their families who have been affected by crimes committed by individuals with a nexus to immigration.
This office was explicitly called for in the President’s Executive Order titled, “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States,” dated January 25, 2017.
***ICE may not be able to provide information regarding certain offenders to victims of a crime with a nexus to immigration due to the information being protected by policy or law. ***
With honor and integrity, we will support victims of crimes committed by criminal aliens through access to information and resources.
The men and women comprising the VOICE Office will be guided by a singular, straightforward mission – to ensure victims and their families have access to releasable information about a perpetrator and to offer assistance explaining the immigration removal process. ICE wants to ensure those victimized by criminal aliens feel heard, seen and supported.
The Victims Of Immigration Crime Engagement Office (VOICE) was established to fulfill President Trump’s commitment to help people affected by criminal activity perpetrated by criminal aliens.
Any person who is affected by criminal activity allegedly perpetrated by criminal aliens in the United States. Information will be provided to victims, witnesses, any individual with a legal responsibility to act on behalf of a victim or witness (e.g., attorneys, parents, legal guardians, etc.), and individuals acting at the request of a victim or witness.
The Victim Information and Notification Exchange (VINE) is a system used throughout the nation to automatically notify certain individuals about changes to custody status and other information. Individuals eligible to receive custody status notifications are victims and witnesses associated with criminal aliens charged or convicted of a crime, victim advocates, who are individuals with a legal responsibility to act on behalf of a victim or witness (e.g., attorneys, parents, legal guardians), and individuals acting at the request of a victim or witness.
Specifically, DHS’ VINE system (DHS-VINE) will allow registrants to directly register for custodial status notifications via a Web interface. It will also transfer eligible registrant data from state VINE databases to ensure those individuals who registered with state VINE continue to receive custody status updates once a criminal alien is transferred from state to ICE custody. State VINE databases are automated notification systems that provide victims and their families with up-to-date offender information such as custody status changes and criminal case information.
DHS-VINE will automatically notify eligible registrants by phone, text message, and/or email of changes to a criminal alien’s custody status with ICE once the criminal alien has been taken into ICE custody. These notifications will indicate that the individual has either been booked into ICE custody or out of ICE custody (specifying whether the individual was released from custody or removed from the United States). The solution is offered free of charge to registrants, is anonymous, available 24/7/365 and features multiple language support functions. The solution provides users with the information they need to feel secure, and enables governing staff to focus on their core responsibilities creating a greater, more efficient system.
DHS-VINE provides information regarding criminal aliens who are currently in custody or who may have been recently released from custody. If for any reason you do not find the person for whom you search, please call the VOICE hotline toll-free at 1-855-48-VOICE (1-855-488-6423) or individuals may also check the custody status of an individual via the Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS) on the ICE website.
VOICE will afford victims and their loved ones a single point of contact to obtain information regarding criminal aliens in ICE custody. That could include getting automated custody status information, getting additional releasable case history about the perpetrator, or having an ICE representative explain the immigration enforcement and removal process.
Regardless of the identity of the perpetrator, all criminal activity should be reported to local law enforcement. Individuals across the world can report suspicious criminal activity to the ICE Tip Line 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Highly trained specialists take reports from both the public and law enforcement agencies. Call 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) (from U.S. and Canada). TTY for hearing impaired only: || TTY para personas con discapacidad auditiva solamente: (802) 872-6196 Call 802-872-6199 (from other locations around the globe) Criminal activity may also be reported via an online form.
Yes. Registration is simple and may be done anonymously. ICE will make every effort to keep victims and witnesses advised of the release status of the offender. Registered victims and witnesses will be advised when the criminal alien is released from custody or removed.
Yes. The VOICE office can provide registered victims and witnesses with detainee location data through ICE Enforcement and Removal Operation’s (ERO) Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS). Victims may also access the link directly on the front page of ICE.gov by clicking here.
Within the ICE tracking system, an A-Number (short for Alien Registration Number) is used to track immigration cases. The A-Number is the nine-digit identifying number that is assigned to a person during immigration benefits or enforcement proceedings. The A-Number can be found in the top right corner of the Notice to Appear (NTA), Form I-862. Individuals may also obtain information about a case before the immigration courts by contacting the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) automated case information line at 1-800-898-7180.
ICE has established a toll-free hotline 1-855-48-VOICE (1-855-488-6423) staffed with operators who can guide victims to information or contacts they need as well as assistance signing up to receive automated custody status information about a criminal alien in custody. The VOICE office will also be able to direct victims/families to the DHS Victim Information Notification Exchange (DHS-VINE) system for notification of custody changes throughout the course of the individual’s criminal and/or immigration case. The VOICE office will use ICE’s community relations officers as a local contact to help victims with whatever other information or explanation of processes they may need.
Data collected by the agency is focused on the records of those ICE arrests or removes, not on victims. ICE will not inquire as to a victim’s immigration status through VOICE.
ICE is currently using existing resources to fund the functions of the office. When additional resource needs are identified, ICE will seek appropriated funds as necessary.
ICE’s 21 community relations officers were hired specifically for their skills and experience working with community stakeholders. VOICE is one part of their duties that also include liaising with members of the public, law enforcement, local government and other stakeholders interested in ICE activities. Community relations officers will interact with victims and their families, just like any other stakeholder group, and provide access to information or answer questions about the immigration process.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) prioritizes the safety of victims who have been affected by crimes. To ensure that victims remain informed about the custody status of their alien offenders, DHS has created the Victim Information Notification Exchange (DHS-VINE).
DHS-VINE is free, anonymous, and timely custody status notification service.
