Law Enforcement and Advocates Partnering to Better Serve Immigrant Crime Victims

Law enforcement agencies increasingly recognize the value of the U-visa (officially known as “U” nonimmigrant status) as a community-policing and crime-fighting tool. This type of visa provides temporary legal status to immigrant crime victims in the United States who are helpful to law enforcement. Since 2009, Vera’s Center on Immigration and Justice and the nonprofit organization Legal Momentum have worked together as the National Immigrant Victims’ Access to Justice Partnership and have trained personnel from dozens of law enforcement agencies on how to use the U-visa.

This webinar, hosted by the Vera Institute of Justice and Legal Momentum on October 5, 2011, through the National Immigration Victims’ Access to Justice Partnership describes how law enforcement agencies and community advocates can build and maintain partnerships that better serve immigrant crime victims. These partnerships can build upon a tool that is available to all law enforcement: the U-visa. Approval of a U-visa petition provides temporary legal status to undocumented immigrant victims who are helpful to law enforcement.

Participants:

Detective Stacey Ivie
Alexandria Police Department

Natalie Nanasi
Senior Immigration Attorney, Tahirih Justice Center

Pradine Saint-Fort
Senior Program Associate, Center on Immigration and Justice, Vera Institute of Justice

To learn more about how law enforcement is using the U-visa, please visit: http://www.vera.org/pubs/how-law-enfo...

The Vera Institute of Justice is an independent, nonprofit research and policy organization that combines expertise in research, demonstration projects, and technical assistance to help leaders in government and civil society improve the systems people rely on for justice and safety.

For more information about the Vera Institute of Justice, please visit: http://www.vera.org/