Immigrants who are crime victims and waiting for visas now face deportation

Immigrants who qualified and applied for U visas, reserved for victims of certain crimes who agree to help authorities, are no longer protected from deportation and fear for their future.

Domingo Mendoza Méndez’s eyes fill with tears as he says he hasn't seen his family since July 10, when he went to an appointment with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and was detained.

“I’m in the process for a U visa and they detained me, but I don’t know why they’re detaining me. I’m following all their rules,” Mendoza Méndez, a 45-year-old Mexican immigrant, said in a video call with Noticias Telemundo from the Freeborn County Correctional Facility in Minnesota.

In 2013, Mendoza Méndez, who had crossed the border 13 years earlier, was the victim of a violent robbery in Minnesota, which was recorded and investigated by police. The type of assault he suffered is included in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services list of crimes that qualify for a U visa, a measure designed for victims of criminal acts in the U.S. who agree to help authorities investigate the crime.

However, as part of the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign, some immigrants who've applied and are in the process of waiting for a U visa have been detained.

“I feel sad. I’m trying to gather my strength, but there are so many things happening here. Many of us are having our rights violated,” said the married father of three children, adding that he's been in the process of obtaining a visa since 2021.