Justice for Angel Families Act

The Justice for Angel Families Act makes two main changes. First, it expands the types of crime victims eligible for compensation under the Victims of Crime Act to include 'angel families.' Second, it creates a new office within the Department of Homeland Security to support victims of crimes committed by certain immigrants.

Sec. 2, Grants for angel families: This section amends the Victims of Crime Act to allow state crime victim compensation programs to also cover 'angel families.' An 'angel family' is defined as the immediate family of a homicide victim where the killer was an alien unlawfully present in the U.S. or a member of an international drug cartel. For these families, compensation can cover medical expenses for any injury (including mental health counseling), lost wages due to emotional distress, and funeral expenses.

Sec. 3, Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office: This section creates a new office within the Department of Homeland Security called the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office. The office must establish a hotline to help victims and their families understand the immigration enforcement process, get support services, register for custody status updates on the criminal alien, and receive releasable criminal or immigration history. The office must also conduct a case study on providing services to these victims and submit an annual report to Congress with details on the victims, the crimes, and the criminal aliens involved.