U-visas finally arrive.Byline: The Register-Guard Better late than never - even when it's seven years late. In 2000, Congress passed a law authorizing visas for illegal immigrant illegal immigrant n. an alien (non-citizen) who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa. (See: alien) crime victims. Seven years later, federal immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. officials say they're finally ready to start issuing "U-visas" to certain victims who cooperate with law enforcement in the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes. Federal immigration officials attribute the delay to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security Noun 1. Department of Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States and the resulting mass reorganization of government agencies in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. "We realize it took a long amount of time," U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Chris Bentley told the Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Morning daily newspaper. Established in 1881, it was purchased and incorporated in 1884 by Harrison Gray Otis (1837–1917) under The Times-Mirror Co. (the hyphen was later dropped from the name). . "We just wanted to get it right." (Note to anyone employed in the private sector: Try putting off a project for seven months, much less seven years, and then telling your boss, "I realize it took a long amount of time. I just wanted to get it right.") Despite this inconceivable delay, the publication of guidelines for the new visas is welcome. It bucks the enforcement-only trend that has gripped the federal government since the collapse of comprehensive immigration reform Immigration reform is the common term used in political discussions regarding changes to immigration policy. In a certain sense, reform can be general enough to include promoted, expanded, or open immigration, but in reality discussions of reform often deal with the aspect of in Congress earlier this year. And it comes in the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of a Bush administration crackdown on illegal immigrants, including an ill-conceived Social Security purge that will result in the massive firing of illegal immigrants and the disruption of businesses across the nation. Immigrants qualify for the new visas if they are victims of heinous crimes such as rape, kidnapping or false imprisonment false imprisonment, complete restraint upon a person's liberty of movement without legal justification. Actual physical contact is not necessary; a show of authority or a threat of force is sufficient. The person falsely imprisoned may sue the offender for damages. . The visas enable them to work and live in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and to apply for permanent residency after three years. The federal government is authorized to issue up to 10,000 U-visa-s each year, along with visas for family members. The program is necessary because illegal immigrants are particularly vulnerable to becoming victims of violent crimes. Victims are routinely reluctant to contact or cooperate with law enforcement authorities for fear of deportation. That fear is often justified as increasing numbers of local law enforcement officials across the country have begun cooperating with federal immigration officials. In the seven years since Congress overwhelmingly passed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, nearly 7,000 immigrants have applied for U-visas. To date, not a single visa has been issued, but immigration officials say an unspecified number of crime victims were offered "interim relief" including travel and work authorization. Federal officials say eligible immigrants will be able to seek the visas retroactively if they can provide documentation from law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). verifying that they were victims of rape, kidnapping, extortion or other qualifying crimes. It's helpful that victims can apply for the U-visas retroactively. But the move fails to address the plight of the many illegal immigrants who did not report crimes because there was no visa program in place to ease their fear of deportation. That's because the federal government took seven years "to get it right." |
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