All 10,000 Crime Victim Visas Issued for This Year

Associated Press reported that: The government has issued all 10,000 visas available this year for immigrant crime victims who help authorities investigate and prosecute perpetrators. The last of this fiscal year's supply of the visas, known as U visas, was approved Thursday morning, marking the first time the government has hit the statutory U visa limit since the program became active two years ago. The visas were created as part of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. They are given to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and other crimes in exchange for cooperation with law enforcement. In 2007, attorneys for immigrants who had been victims of crime sued the government for failing to issue any visas. Only 52 were issued in 2008. About 6,000 applications were approved last fiscal year. Alejandro Mayorkas, director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, said that an increased focus on U visa processing, as well as increased outreach and resources to crime victims groups and law enforcement, contributed to increased applications. Forty-five staffers are now working on U visas, compared with four in 2008, spokesman Bill Wright said.