The news of the Biden Administration shutting the VOIICE office, as reported by mainstream media, was a huge disappointment to Angel Families. We had worked with President Trump to finally have a Federal Office dedicated to helping victims of illegal crime navigate through the court cases, where the perpetrators of the crimes against our loved ones were being housed and all the way through seeing them deported after serving their sentences. It provided a much-needed resource that local law enforcement in many cases, couldn’t provide for us.
As the Founder of Angel Families, I have reached out to this administration and asked for a meeting with Secretary Mayorkas as well as Biden and Harris. Pro illegal organizations, who actively participate in helping illegals in our country, have and are present at most of the immigration discussions at the White House and attend other Administrative meetings on this topic. The right thing to do is involve American victim families and have a balanced and unbiased discussion of the repercussions this issue has on citizens who elect our officials, pay taxes that this administration is using for the benefit of illegals and end up suffering injuries and even death at the hands of an illegal who was not vetted prior to being allowed in our country.
I decided to make some calls to verify exactly what was going on. I contacted the newly named VESL office. What was confirmed was that there was a “name change for the office because of the negativity that surrounded the office opening under the VOIICE name by President Trump. It was touted by mainstream media and pro illegal organizations as an office that created hate towards illegals during the Trump Administration which was the furthest from the truth. This office still provides the same updates for victims of illegal crime but the newly named System Director, Todd Thurlow, didn’t seem too interested in my questions of why they hadn’t corrected the mainstream media and continued to allow Angel Families to believe there was no longer the assistance we had come to rely on. He directed me to the ICE Public Relations office to ask them but they hung up on me 4 times during transfers.
The VESL office has become the mega helpline for illegals. I was told they can call in and report they were a victim of human smuggling, even those that paid to be smuggled into our country. Unaccompanied Minors “could” fall under that category even if they are 14-17 years old and came on their own accord. They will be referred to USCIS and they can apply for a U-Visa or a T-Visa. In order to qualify for a T visa, an applicant must have been “trafficked” into the United States. This means that the individual is only present in the United States due to trafficking. This is different from a U Visa. For U visas, an individual could simply have visited the United States (for various reasons) and was then a victim of human trafficking or other specific qualifying crime.
An easy way to understand this is that with T visa cases, the individual must have traveled to the United States originally through recruitment, force, abduction or deception by a “perpetrator”. A perpetrator/coyote is a common term used to describe the individual who has committed the human trafficking crime.
The intent of the Biden Administration could be no clearer than the help and assistance they are now giving to illegals as they are encouraged and referred to USCIS to apply for T Visa benefits which include:
- Four years of lawful immigration status
- Four years of employment authorization
- The opportunity to apply for lawful permanent residency if the T-Visa holder meets certain criteria
- Federal refugee benefits, including cash assistance, food stamps and job training
- Public benefits in some states and
- The ability to petition for T visas for certain family members in the United States or abroad (chain migration)
Once they apply for a U or T Visa, they are immediately given a work permit, regardless of if they will ever be approved for the Visa they have applied for. The VESL office and USCIS could not give me projections on the number of Visas they were expecting to receive with the flood of illegals crossing our borders. I was told that was never discussed. Surprising when so much taxpayer money will be used for processing these Visa applications.
On June 29, 2021, US House Democrats introduced a Homeland Security Department spending bill that aims to wipe away more than $2 billion in border wall money that lawmakers already approved. This bill will also pump millions of dollars into the legal immigration branch, USCIS, to try and cut down on application backlogs. USCIS is supposed to be funded by fees paid by illegals themselves, but Democrats are wary of the prices they would have to charge those seeking U and T visas and are proposing taxpayers pick up some of the tab instead!
In my opinion, all these pieces; The VESL office recreation, the items in the HSD spending bill and open borders are working in tandem to allow illegals to invade our country, provide the necessary federal help to get them jobs, financial help and ultimately permanent residency all at the expense of American taxpayers. This is going on behind our backs, without our approval and against all things logical when it comes to our Federal Government.
When the VOICE office was created by President Trump, it provided American Citizens with the help we deserve and should be provided when open borders played a part in our loved one’s death. The Biden Administration is turning their backs on American victims and instead are providing for those who have illegally entered our country against our Immigration Laws. They have made the help for illegals top heavy in a Federal Office that should never cater to those that break our immigration laws.
The ONLY help provided for Angel Families is the navigation through court cases. We are not referred to another Federal Office that has extended help for us. We aren’t provided counseling, financial aid for funeral costs or anything that would ease the loss of our loved ones nor provide us with extended benefits that would cost American taxpayers a dime. We are talking about the death of innocent Americans, not law breakers who are demanding financial aid, citizenship and free medical care.
There is a huge difference in these two administrations and how they viewed the rights of Americans, especially innocent Americans who lost their lives because of our inept politicians who are voted into office and ultimately end up fighting for foreigners.