USA: Council May Show Support for Federal Visa Program

The City Council will vote Wednesday on whether to declare its support for a federal visa program for noncitizens that rewards them for helping fight certain crimes.

The U Visa program approved by Congress in 2000 gives noncitizens eligibility to work for up to four years on a temporary visa for reporting certain crimes and helping law enforcement agencies investigate and prosecute the perpetrators.

A “memorial” to be presented to the City Council states that about 30 U Visas are certified each year in Tucson by Tucson police, the City Prosecutor’s Office and the Pima County Attorney’s Office.

Most of the cases are crimes of domestic violence, according to the memorial prepared for the City Council, and most are referred to law enforcement by Southern Arizona Legal Aid.

Applicants for a U Visa must have suffered substantial physical or emotional abuse as a result of a number of crimes that violate U.S. law, including torture, rape, incest, domestic violence, female genital mutilation, blackmail, extortion, false imprisonment, sexual assault or abusive sexual contact.

A U Visa must be approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The memorial was proposed by Councilwoman Regina Romero, a Democrat and the first Hispanic woman elected to the City Council.

Source: Tuscon Citizen – 6 August 2008