“A bill to authorize grants for crime victims to be distributed to angel families, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section amends sec. 1403 of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (34 U.S.C. 20102) to expand eligibility for state crime victim compensation programs—which reimburse eligible victims for expenses related to compensable crimes—to include "angel families" alongside victims and survivors of criminal violence (previously limited to physical injuries for medical care and lost wages). Specifically, it (1) revises subsection (b)(1) to authorize compensation for angel families for medical expenses attributable to any injury (including mental health counseling), loss of wages attributable to emotional distress, and funeral expenses resulting from a compensable crime; and (2) adds subsection (d)(6) to define "angel family" as immediate family members of an individual who is a victim of homicide committed by (A) an alien described in INA §212(a)(6)(A)(i) (i.e., present without admission or parole) who is unlawfully present in the United States, or (B) any member of an international criminal organization involved in unlawful trafficking of controlled substances (as defined in 21 U.S.C. 802), including an international drug cartel.
This section establishes within the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Secretary the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office (VOICE) to provide proactive, timely, and professional services—including a hotline for information on immigration enforcement and removal processes, social services referrals, custody status updates, releasable criminal and immigration histories of perpetrators, and resource connections—to victims of crimes and their family members when the crimes are committed by aliens inadmissible under INA §212(a) (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)), deportable under INA §237(a) (8 U.S.C. 1227(a)), or otherwise unlawfully present in the United States. The office director must also conduct a case study on such services and submit annual reports to Congress beginning one year after enactment, including the case study summary and data on victim and perpetrator demographics, crime locations and types, and repeat offenses by perpetrators.