President Donald Trump has come through on a campaign promise he made to a Texas group that works with those impacted by illegal immigrant crime by setting up a hotline to keep families updated on the legal process, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"Finally Americans are being heard," Maria Espinoza, head the Remembrance Project, tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI. "Finally we have a president who will address this issue."
The Department of Homeland Security has created an office called Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement. Staffers will help victims and their families find information regarding the alleged criminal’s progress through the immigration system. That includes details on deportation, which is not available to states.
At a press conference, John F. Kelly, the secretary of Homeland Security, said the office fills a need.
"These are casualties of crimes that should never have taken place because the people who victimized them oftentimes should not have been in the country in the first place.”
President Trump has long been a fan of the Remembrance project, even speaking to the group while running for president.
Espinoza says the hotline is something they've asked for.
"We found, through talking with families, that they are often misguided. One family was even prevented from making a victim impact statement."
She says helping crime victims should be a bipartisan issue.