Joint Committee on Public Safety, Immigration & Refugee Rights
City Council Meeting December 14, 2022
Q_EP_EB
WHEREAS, The United States of America Citizenship and Immigration Services permits the issuance of U-Visa status to undocumented individuals who are victims of certain crimes, suffered mental or physical abuse, and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity; and,
WHEREAS, The federal legislation was intended to strengthen the ability of law enforcement agencies, such as the Chicago Police Department, to investigate and prosecute cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking of noncitizens and other crimes, while also protecting victims of crimes who have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse due to the crime and are willing to help law enforcement authorities in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity; and,
WHEREAS, The United States of America Citizenship and Immigration Services considers the following to be qualifying Criminal Activities as suitable grounds for eligibility: abduction, abusive sexual contact, blackmail, domestic violence, extortion, false imprisonment, female genital mutilation, felonious assault, fraud in foreign labor contracting, hostage, incest, involuntary servitude, kidnapping, manslaughter, murder, obstruction of justice, peonage, perjury, prostitution, rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, slave trade, stalking, torture, trafficking, witness tampering, unlawful criminal restraint, and other substantially similar crimes; and,
WHEREAS, The Chicago Police Department's Records Inquiry Section (Unit 163) is responsible for the adjudication of U-Visa applications submitted to the department and does not track certification applications submitted, approved and/or rejected by the unit; now, therefore,
BE IT ORDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO, That the Chicago Police Department and Law Department bring forth pr...
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