I urge you to cosponsor H.R. 8628, the End U Visa Abuse Act, and help shut down a program that was created to support genuine crime victims but has become a magnet for fraud and a backdoor to work permits and deportation protection for people in the country illegally.

More than 416,000 U-visa petitions are now backlogged, far beyond the 10,000 Congress authorized each year. Federal investigators have documented forged certifications, approvals built on cases that were already closed, and applicants with prior arrest records — and the law enforcement officers the program was meant to assist say it does little to help them solve crimes. The abuse has grown so severe that local officials are now trying to escape it themselves: in Colorado, a county sheriff and a district attorney have gone to court against their own state’s law forcing them to approve these certifications regardless of the facts, and the Justice Department has joined the case on their side. But fighting this one courtroom at a time can only do so much, and litigation can be undone by a future administration. Only Congress can put an end to the abuse for good.

This is the kind of concrete reform Americans have been asking for. I hope you will add your name as a cosponsor and help build an immigration system that rewards honesty and the rule of law rather than fraud. Thank you for standing up for American communities and the integrity of our laws.

Greg Raven, Apple Valley, CA

Sent to:
Jay Obernolte