Maria Gaspar endured two years of beatings and threats from her boyfriend in Greeley, but she was reluctant to go to police because she was an illegal immigrant

A little-known federal visa program encourages illegal immigrants to help prosecute criminals. The idea was to make sure bad guys weren’t left on the loose because their victims were afraid to call police.
But discrepancies in how the visas are both requested and approved mean the intent of the law may be undermined, and could put the public at risk.

Read the story: Shut Out: An in-depth look at u visas