Hello, I am Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.

Primarily, I
would like to state that I am in support of the bill 3-2016 Visa Reform and
Enforcement Bill.
The number of undocumented immigrants in the United States is
rapidly increasing by 12% because of overstayed visas from immigrants
who have come to our country, all in search of one dream; the American
dream. The Visa Reform and Enforcement Bill, written and proposed by
Senators Orrin G. Hatch, and Ted Cruz introduces a brand new, innovative,
and prevalent solution that in turn, would assist immigrants of all kinds in
achieving and maintaining the highly desired American dream. However, I
believe that this bill has forgotten to include two crucial, specific types of
visas, the U visa and T visa. These visas are set aside for victims of human
trafficking and victims of domestic violence, who are facing deportation.
Each visa allows them to stay in the United States and in return, they must
assist the prosecutors in the investigation in order to find and prosecute the
perpetrator. They are both very important types of visa, but there simply are
not enough of them to fit the needs of these victims.
As of right now, there are 5,000 U visas and 5,000 T visas that can be
distributed annually, but the number of cases that fall into the category of U
and T visas is noticeably higher. I would like to introduce a new section of
this bill (Section 6) which will increase the number of U and T visas
combined from 10,000 to 60,000 annually. This will include Subsection A,
which repurposes 7% of the C.I.S. budget to the creation of said visas. It
will also include Subsection B, which will increase the total time of these
visas by 5 years; allowing T and U visa carriers to apply for citizenship after
2 years and promote a growing economy. I believe that the addition of this
section will help to gain support from both parties, as human trafficking and
domestic violence are not issues that are one sided. To deny a thirteen
year old child their right to be safe from things like sexual slavery, domestic
violence, and human trafficking goes against our constitutional values.
Nobody has the choice of the country they are born in, however, these
victims have found a safe haven within our country, and we do have the

choice to not take that away. These visas assist many people after
undergoing such traumatic experiences, and I, senator Jeanne Shaheen of
New Hampshire, support the addition of Section 6 wholeheartedly and
hope that you may join me.