Fear of deportation stops immigrants from reporting crimes

"Fear of deportation stops many immigrants who are victims of crimes or trafficking from reporting to authorities what happened.  Trafficking survivors, in particular, are so wary of coming forward that the pool of 5,000 special T visas available to them each year go largely unassigned. Just 557 were approved last year. Officials believe thousands more immigrants are out there who haven’t found help.  “They’re right in front of us and we don’t even know it,” said Scott Whelan, an officer at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Office of Policy and Strategy." - Erica Pearson, NY Daily News, Mar. 28, 2012.