Become a Victim of Illegal Alien Crime, And Get a U.S. Visa

The Los Angeles Times recentlyreported that the use of a special “U Visa,” which gives illegal alien crime victims temporary residence status in the country in return for their cooperation with law enforcement, has increased over the last couple of years. The article’s author, Teresa Wantanabe, gave an example of a “Mexican immigrant in Los Angeles,” (code for illegal alien), who was “caught in the crossfire of a 2006 gang shooting while selling corn on the streets. He is paralyzed below the waist after a bullet lodged in his spinal cord, an injury that deprived his family of its major breadwinner and caused his two children to quit high school to work.” After the man cooperated with police in its investigation, one was convicted and others are being pursued. The victim said, “I feel relief that my children and I don’t have to hide from Immigration anymore. I am very happy that we are able to stay in this country together.” The article sites another example of a woman receiving a U visa after her boyfriend broke her nose during a domestic disturbance. The man was arrested and deported. A Los Angeles attorney, Steven Espinoza, who was interviewed for the article and represents several U visa applicants said, “At the end of the day we want crime to go down. What better way to do that than to have victims come forward with information?” The article claims that U visas grant temporary legal status to people who suffer physical or mental abuse from crimes. However, what Ms. Watanabe conveniently fails to mention is that Congress empowered the Attorney General (now the Secretary of Homeland Security) with discretion to convert the status of such immigrants to permanent residents “when doing so is justified on humanitarian grounds, for family unity, or is otherwise in the public interest.” In light of this administration’s dismal record of enforcing immigration law and supporting amnesty for illegal aliens through “comprehensive immigration reform,” the only justification an illegal alien will need is that he has a pulse. Who doesn’t want to see crime go down, as Mr. Espinoza said? Why would Congress reward law breakers simply because they are victims? Has anyone considered that these crime victims would not have been victims if they weren’t there to begin with? Take the corn salesman for example. He’s at a busy intersection selling ears of corn to drivers stopped at the traffic signal. Where did he get the corn? Did he buy it at a Safeway to resell? No! He probably grew it in a vacant lot or stole it from Safeway. Does he have a business license? Of course not! After the corn salesman was shot, probably by an illegal alien gangster, who do you think paid for his ambulance, emergency room visit, surgery, hospital stay and follow up treatments? I can guarantee you it wasn’t Blue Cross. Now, his two illegal alien children can return to high school, again at taxpayer expense. Who is the real victim here? The boyfriend of the woman with the broken nose was arrested and deported thanks to her cooperation. If the LAPD officers who responded to the domestic disturbance call had checked his immigration status at that time, Jose would have been on a bus to Tijuana that evening, with or without her cooperation. Nevertheless, Los Angeles is a sanctuary city and its city council forbids its police officers from inquiring about a suspect’s immigration status. After stepped-up efforts by the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, the legal limit of 10,000 U visa petitions was granted. This demonstrates that there would be 10,000 fewer people victimized, and 10,000 fewer crimes committed if they had not been here in the first place. Illegal aliens victimize the majority of other illegal aliens, in addition to U.S. citizens. Since word of this program has spread, it won’t be long before this Congress ups the number of U visa petitions so that more illegal aliens can seek permanent residency based on their victim status. A law should provide incentives for illegal alien crime victims to cooperate with law enforcement. However, once their case is adjudicated, they should not be rewarded with permanent resident status. The authorities should give them a bus trip home, not amnesty for being here illegally.