Many families in Louisiana include immigrants who are currently facing legal status problems. U.S. immigration law is complex, and any number of issues can cause complications resulting in very stressful situations. A family in another state understands this all too well as they have been trying to help their husband/father avoid deportation.
The man in question is the father of seven children. He was serving time in jail where he reportedly became the victim of a violent crime. He was released from jail while an investigation of the situation took place. He cooperated with law enforcement agents in the investigation, thus making him technically eligible to apply for a U visa.
This is a special temporary visa that provides protection from deportation for victims of violent crime who agree to cooperate in helping law enforcement agents and prosecutors apprehend and convict criminals. The only problem is that the system apparently doesn’t always work the way it should. For instance, in the case of the man mentioned earlier, prison officials say they have no record of the crime committed against him.
Video surveillance that would provide proof of the incident somehow disappeared. The man’s wife says her husband is suffering severe depression due to his troubling situation. They are worried he will be deported before his application for a U visa is properly processed. An attorney well versed in U.S. immigration law would be a valuable source of support for any Louisiana immigrant facing similar legal status problems.
Source: npr.org, “Undocumented Immigrants Face Growing Backlog Of Crime Victim Visas“, Nate Hegyi, Feb. 9, 2018
