Trump immigrant crime hotline struggles to achieve mission

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has touted the creation of an office to help victims of crimes committed by immigrants.

But most of the people calling the Trump administration hotline aren’t calling to get information. They’re calling to report their neighbors, colleagues or strangers who they suspect are in the country illegally.

The hotline is part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Barbara Gonzalez, who leads the endeavor, is trying to get the word out that the office is there to help victims and is not a tip line.

The hotline received more than 4,600 calls from April 2017 to September 2017. A majority of the calls were unrelated to its mission. When it first began, the hotline was flooded with prank calls reporting aliens from outer space.