A North Carolina prosecutor is under fire for refusing to grant temporary visas to undocumented Latino immigrant crime victims if they are victimized by another Latino.

According to The Charlotte Observer, Gaston County's District Attorney Locke Bell refuses to certify Latino crime victims who are eligible for visas when the person who violates them is also Hispanic.

Bell admitted to the local paper that if both a crime victim and the accused is Latino, then he will reject the victim's visa application. Instead, he will only certify cases for Latino immigrants victimized by non-Latino assailants.

Legal experts, however, say that not only is Bell discriminating against Latinos, but he is also violating U.S. law. Back in 2000, Congress passed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act to encourage immigrants in the country without legal papers to report crimes to police. As a result, undocumented immigrants who have been crime victims can apply for a U visa with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Under the law, an undocumented crime victim is "eligible for a U visa, which grants immigrants living here illegally the right to remain in the country for four years and seek permanent residence," the paper says.

In response, Bell argues that the law "was never intended to protect Latinos from Latinos. It was designed to protect them from high-crime areas."

According to University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill law professor Deborah Weissman, Bell's actions violate federal laws banning discrimination based on race.

"It's an astounding statement. There is no context that could provide a legal justification for it," Weissman said.

She also told Efe on Friday that Locke's attitude "is unfortunately not altogether unusual, though we have many agencies that do their work and certify these cases."

In addition, Ron Shook, a Gastonia immigration attorney who represents local Latino victims of crime, called Bell's interpretation of the law "misguided," reports the Gaston Gazette.