DHS Honors 'Angel Families' During Crime Victims Week: Crimes 'Completely Preventable'

The Department of Homeland Security honored families impacted by crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants during National Crime Victims Week on Tuesday, with officials calling such incidents "completely preventable."

The Trump administration's reopened Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office has fielded nearly 900 calls seeking assistance over the past year, according to DHS data. The Biden administration had shut down the office, which provides support services including tracking immigration enforcement cases and connecting families with local social services.

Of the reported incidents, 32% involved violent assault, 15% involved rape or sexual assault, and 9% involved homicide or manslaughter, DHS statistics show.

"For too long in this country, victims of illegal alien crime have been ignored by the media and sanctuary politicians," DHS acting assistant secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital. "Every crime committed by an illegal alien is completely preventable."

Among the cases DHS highlighted was Megan Bos, whose body was found partially decomposed in a garbage can in Waukegan, Illinois in April 2025. Jose Luis Mendoza-Gonzalez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, faces charges including abuse of a corpse and concealing death. Despite the charges, he was released under Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker's sanctuary policies before ICE arrested him in Chicago on July 19, 2025.

The department also spotlighted the case of 18-year-old Joshua Wilkerson, killed by his classmate Hermilo Moralez, an illegal immigrant from Belize, on November 16, 2010. Wilkerson's body was found dumped in woods, severely beaten and burned. Moralez had been arrested less than five months before the killing.

The renewed focus on angel families represents a sharp departure from the previous administration's approach. The VOICE office restoration provides automated ICE custody updates and helps victims navigate the complex immigration enforcement system that many families struggled to understand on their own.

"DHS will never stop fighting for victims of illegal aliens and will ALWAYS put America first," Bis added in her statement.

The Trump administration's emphasis on angel families during Crime Victims Week signals continued prioritization of immigration enforcement and support for American victims of crimes committed by those in the country illegally. Watch for expanded VOICE office operations and additional resources for affected families in coming months.