Eight non-U.S. citizens have filed a lawsuit in federal court in Detroit. They're seeking to press a government agency to speed up reviews of applications to a special visa program.
The U visa program was created in 2000, as part of the federal Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act. Under the program, non-citizens who report crimes, including who are victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, or other qualifying crimes, can qualify for work permits and be placed on a path to U.S. citizenship, once a law enforcement officer certifies that they were helpful in the investigation or prosecution of the crime.
But the process takes years.
“If we were to submit a U visa today, we’d be waiting five years or longer for that full adjudication and more than two years for that initial determination of eligibility,” said Meredith Luneack, an attorney representing the plaintiffs.
The National Immigrant Justice Center, Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, and the law firm Winston & Strawn LLP filed the lawsuit.
Felipe Emmanuel Dzib Cohuo is a plaintiff in the case who said he has waited more than three years for his application to be adjudicated. Meanwhile, he fears he may face deportation.
“I don’t feel free to board an airplane or a train, or walk freely on the street without being worried and alert all the time that there might be an ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] officer because that’s my biggest fear,” Cohuo said in a written statement.
A spokesperson for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.
