AILA and Partners Submit Amicus Brief on Qualifying Criminal Activities for U Visa Status

AILA, ASISTA, and ICWC submitted an amicus brief to the district court that argued that the statute and congressional intent require USCIS to take a broad reading of the listed qualifying criminal activities as well as the "similar" activities to qualify for U nonimmigrant visa status. The brief urged the court to find the implementing regulations ultra vires as to the meaning of similar activities, since the regulations require the similarity to be "substantial" and only look at the legal elements, not the facts.