July 19, 2021: New Mexico’s Twelfth Judicial District Attorney’s Office

The U Visa:  A Tool to Support Victims, Communities, and Increase Participation in the Criminal Justice System

Webinar Description

Immigrant victims of crime are often reluctant to call police for help.  Victims of domestic violence and sexual assault are further challenged to participate in investigations and prosecutions where they experience immigration-related abuse and threats of deportation.  This workshop will explain the intention behind the creation of the U Visa and detail the requirements of any application for immigration relief through the U Visa program.  Presenters will provide strategies to improving victim participation by enhancing safety and security while minimizing barriers, fears, and misconceptions.  The workshop will provide participants with access to toolkits, tools, and resources on the U Visa as well as other forms of immigration relief available to crime victims, as well as to the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project web library, online webinars, and technical assistance. NIWAP hosted this webinar in collaboration with Opportunities for Otsego.

Call or Email NIWAP for Technical Assistance 

If you are a law enforcement officer, prosecutor, or a system-based victim advocate or other staff working for a law enforcement or prosecution agency wanting to improve your response to immigrant victims and you would like to receive case specific technical assistance on language access requirements and immigration protections for crime victims/survivors of sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, and human trafficking and their children, please call NIWAP for technical assistance (202) 274-4457 or email us at info@niwap.org.  

Join us for NIWAP’s Virtual Roundtables 

NIWAP offers Virtual Roundtables exclusively for law enforcement and prosecution agencies and system-based advocates.

NIWAP’s roundtables are led by law enforcement and prosecutor faculty, offer an opportunity for peer-to-peer learning, can be joined online or by conference call, and provide ongoing training and technical assistance to officers and staff at law enforcement and prosecution agencies.  When you sign up you choose the list exclusively open to staff working at law enforcement and prosecution agencies.  

More tools for law enforcement and prosecution agencies are available in NIWAP’s web library https://niwaplibrary.wcl.american.edu/topic/law-enforcement/ 

Training Materials

Materials, Tools and Resources 

Overview of Immigration Relief for Immigrant Crime Victims 

Resources on U and T Visas Certification and Policy 

DHS Roll-Call Training Videos  

Screening Tools and Brochures for Immigrant Crime Victims 

Prosecutor’s Tools Enhancing Work with Immigrant Crime Victims

Publications Featuring U-Visa as a Crime-Fighting Tool

List of State Specific U and T Visa Certification Laws                              

VAWA Self-Petition: Immigration Relief for Battered Spouses, Children and Parents of U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents 

Collaborations with Community Partners 

Resources for Improving Language Access and Compliance with Title VI

Published July 16, 2021