The Los Angeles Times reported yesterday that although law enforcement agencies and community based organizations have made significant progress in assisting victims of domestic abuse in various immigrant communities, there are still too many victims that face obstacles such as language barriers, dependence on their abusers, and most importantly, undocumented foreign national victims of abuse refrain from reporting the abuse and seeking the help they so desperately need.
Many of these victims are eligible to pursue certain immigration benefits intended to grant them legal status, in some cases relief from deportation.
We recently had one such case of a woman whom we will name, Ms. O. She was assaulted by her U.S. citizen husband about 2 years ago who was charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Aggravated Assault-Domestic Violence.
We referred her to several social service agencies and was even offered relocation assistance for her safety. She worked closely with with law enforcement and was helpful in their efforts to prosecute her abuser.
An application for legal status pursuant to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) under the basis that she was a victim of criminal activity was filed and we just received the approval notice and relevant documents from the US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) conferring Ms. O’s new legal status. She can now move on with her life and no longer be in fear of her abuser.
A very happy ending for Ms. O and we call upon all foreign national victims of abuse to seek all help wherever in the U.S. they may be and most importantly, to understand that there is no need to tolerate this type of abuse.
Related posts:
Immigration Service Approves Thousands of Visas for Domestic Violence Victims
