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Health & Fitness

When Does the Worst Day of Your Life Turn Out to be the Best Day?

Walter came to the US from Ecuador, by crossing the border from Mexico into the US through Texas without a visa.  He was only 17 years old.   He needed to earn money to support his baby in Ecuador.  A year later, his girlfriend also crossed the border into the US, along with their small baby.

 

Walter worked in a local gas station in the small all-night market.  The owner tried to find a US citizen to work the overnight shift, but no one wanted to work all night long, so the owner finally hired Walter.  Walter had been working there seven years.   The gas station was located in a dangerous section of town, but Walter was glad to have the job and everyone who stopped by the station on their way to work, got to know Walter by name, and he remembered all of his customer’s names.  Walter was a very dedicated worker.

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One night, a group of teens entered the market, and Walter felt his instincts go on alert.  One of the teens blocked the doorway, and another pulled a gun from his pocket and demanded all the cash in the register.  But, it had been a slow night, and there wasn’t much money in the till.  The teen pulled the trigger, and shot Walter in the face.  Walter remained conscious and ran after the teens as they made off for the door, and their waiting car outside.  As the teens shut the car door, Walter’s jacket stuck in the door of the car and he was dragged down the street until his jacket finally tore free.  Walter was badly injured and blood poured from the bullet wound in his face.

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The teens, angry because of the small amount of cash, went on to rob two other locations that evening, killing a US citizen father who had stopped to pick up milk for his family on his way home from working the late shift at his job.

 

Walter woke up in the hospital.  The police wanted to question Walter about the attack, but he was afraid to talk to the police because he wasn’t legal.  Walter didn’t want to be deported/removed from the US and separated from his family.

 

The U-Visa was created to encourage foreign nationals who are victims of crimes in the US, to cooperate with local law enforcement.  Walter had never heard of a U-Visa, but when he learned that a father had been killed by the same teens that attacked him, he decided to tell the police all he could remember.  He agreed to go to the local police station and was able to identify the teens in a line-up and he testified in court against the teens which were eventually convicted and sentenced to prison time.

 

Walter was shocked to learn that from that horrible day, he could now apply for a legal temporary visa for himself, his wife and their child.  His cooperation with local law enforcement helped his entire community by putting away dangerous criminals. 

 

Many foreign nationals, who are not legal in the US, are afraid to report crimes.  In an effort to help make our communities safer for all of us, the U-Visa provides temporary lawful status to a foreign national victim of a crime in the US, and his immediate family, for a period of 4 years, if the victim agrees to cooperate with local law enforcement.  If the victim continues to cooperate with law enforcement , then after the initial three year period, the entire family can apply for permanent resident status (green cards).  Today, Walter and his wife and child are permanent residents of the United States.  Walter owns his own mini-market and employs six US citizens. 

 

The U-Visa is an excellent visa.  However, only 10,000 U-Visas can be issued each fiscal year, from October 1st through September 30th.  In mid-December, 2013 USCIS had already issued the 10,000 U visa allotment.  All of the U-visas available for this year were issued in just 2 ½ months.   No more U visas will be granted until October, 2014 unless some changes are made.  In the meantime, U-visa applications will be processed and people, who otherwise qualify for the U-visa status, will be placed in deferred action on a waiting list.  When next year’s allotment becomes available in October, 2014, the first 10,000 will be granted visas.  Of course, this means that the allotment for 2015 will be placed on a waiting list and the backlog will continue to grow with each fiscal year. 

 

The U-visa makes us all safer in the United States.  This is just another of the many reasons that we so desperately need Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

 

 

 

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