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Friday, November 13, 2026Nov 13

Victims of immigrant crime now have advocate in White House

Mary Ann Mendoza poses for a photograph while holding a framed picture of herself and her son, Brandon Mendoza, on Thursday, March 2, 2017, at her home in Mesa, Ariz. Families who have lost loved ones to crimes committed by immigrants are praising President Donald Trump’s announcement this week that he will create a new office to advocate on their behalf. Mendoza's son, a Mesa police officer, was killed on May 12, 2014, in a head-on collision with a man who authorities say was intoxicated and an immigrant in the country illegally. Both Brandon Mendoza and the other diver were killed in the crash. (AP Photo/Brian Skoloff)
Mary Ann Mendoza poses for a photograph while holding a framed picture of herself and her son, Brandon Mendoza, on Thursday, March 2, 2017, at her home in Mesa, Ariz. Families who have lost loved ones to crimes committed by immigrants are praising President Donald Trump’s announcement this week that he will create a new office to advocate on their behalf. Mendoza's son, a Mesa police officer, was killed on May 12, 2014, in a head-on collision with a man who authorities say was intoxicated and an immigrant in the country illegally. Both Brandon Mendoza and the other diver were killed in the crash. (AP Photo/Brian Skoloff) Mary Ann Mendoza poses for a photograph while holding a framed picture of herself and her son, Brandon Mendoza, on Thursday, March 2, 2017, at her home in Mesa, Ariz. Families who have lost loved ones to crimes committed by immigrants are praising President Donald Trump’s announcement this week that he will create a new office to advocate on their behalf. Mendoza's son, a Mesa police officer, was killed on May 12, 2014, in a head-on collision with a man who authorities say was intoxicated and an immigrant in the country illegally. Both Brandon Mendoza and the other diver were killed in the crash. (AP Photo/Brian Skoloff)

PHOENIX (AP) – Families who have lost loved ones to crimes committed by immigrants are praising President Donald Trump’s announcement this week that he will create a new office to advocate on their behalf.

The agency will be called Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement, or VOICE.

Don Rosenberg is a Los Angeles-area man whose son was killed in a collision with a driver who was in the country illegally and lacked a license. He says he’s glad Trump is reaching out to the families and hopes the office will help them navigate the difficult aftermath of their loss.

Although immigrants are responsible for only a small fraction of the crimes committed daily around the country, the issue played an outsized role in the race for the White House.