Under a new law, undocumented immigrant victims of violent crime who cooperate with authorities in the arrest and prosecution of their attackers will be eligible to apply for a new U visa. The visa allows victims of crime to stay in the U.S. for up to four years and to be accompanied by family members. While I think this is good because it helps the government keep violent felons off our streets (especially those gang members and rapists who come from other countries to set up shop here), but I also wonder how strict the requirements will be. It’s not a nice thing to say, but oftentimes people who get involved with these felons are criminals themselves. I wonder how the USCIS will evaluate those cases so that it doesn’t end up like many criminal cases where a bad guy walks because he’s willing to flip on his friend. Don’t get me wrong, this new category is wonderful in that it will protect undocumented immigrants who are sometimes targets of violent crime because their attackers believe they will be too fearful to go to the police. I think this is a great benefit for them; I just hope that USCIS doesn’t allow criminals to stay here simply for turning on their buddies. You can read the USCIS fact sheets here:

http://www.uscis.gov/files/pressrelease/UvisaReminder16Oct07.pdf

http://www.uscis.gov/files/pressrelease/U-visa_05Sept07.pdf