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The Homeland Security Department launched an office for American victims of immigrant crime Wednesday. The Victims of Immigrant Crime Engagement, or VOICE, is intended to keep victims informed of the immigration proceedings of suspects. (April 26) AP

The Homeland Security Department headquarters in northwest Washington.(Photo: Susan Walsh, AP)

WASHINGTON Official-looking fliers warning residents of a Washington sanctuary city neighborhood to avoid harboring unlawful immigrants and to report illegal aliens to immigration authorities were not issued or sanctioned by the Department of Homeland Security, officials said Thursday.

The blue and white fliers with the logoof department began appearing in southwest Washington Thursday, providing an apparently legitimate 800-number where callers can leave messages about alien fugitives and smuggling, among other options.

The fliers were not issued of sanctioned by ICE, said DHS press secretary Jenny L. Burke at Thursdays regular weekly press briefing, using the abbreviation for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser had reached the same conclusion earlier, tweeting, Please know that these are not real, and notifying residents they will be taken down.

Thursdays briefing by Department of Homeland Security press secretary David Lapan announced a new program that permits foreign visitors concerned about overstaying their visas to determine their status online.

Lapan also explained that DHS Secretary John Kellys decision last week to extend for six months the temporary protected status of 60,000 Haitians who fled the 2010 earthquake. Lapan said Kelly's decision placed an emphasis on the programs temporary character. Lapan said Kelly is not inclined to extend the program, which would have expired in July, beyond January.

Asked if a laptop fire on a JetBlue airliner that made an emergency landing Tuesday night had changed Kellys thinking about not for now limiting laptops as carry-on baggage from flights arriving from Europe, Lapan said the latest incident doesnt change the calibration.

Laptop ban: U.S., Europe differ over aviation security

Kelly announced in March that passengers arriving at U.S. airports directly from ten Middle Eastern countries would have to check electronic devices larger than smart phones. A decision on extending the ban is still under consideration as Kellys views continue to evolve, Lapan said.

Asked about illegal immigrants married to U.S. citizens who have been detained when seeking to clarify their status, Lapan said the law is clear. He likened the situation to a car owner seeking to register a car previously cited for parking violations.

He met with federal agents to discuss a path to citizenship. They arrested him instead.

Its our duty to enforce the laws as they are written, he said.

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