Posts by Admin
ASISTA Statement on NTA Policy Implementation
ASISTA strongly condemns USCIS’ decision to implement the updated Notice To Appear (NTA) policy for survivor-based protections on November 19th. This means that domestic and sexual assault survivors, survivors of human trafficking, children eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and other victims whom Congress intended to help could now face deportation hearings if their cases…
Read MorePBS Frontline: Undocumented Crime Victims Face Heightened Risk of Deportation
ASISTA’s own Cecelia Friedman Levin, commenting on USCIS’s recent drastic departure from prior practice and policy, and how it will discourage survivors from coming forward. Read more here.
Read MoreAnnotated Notes: USCIS Q&A on NTA Guidance Implementation
Annotated Notes on NTA Memo Implementation On November 15, 2018, USCIS held a stakeholder engagement call on the implementation of the NTA memo on survivor-based protections. ASISTA, AILA and ILRC compiled these annotated notes and practice pointers based on USCIS’ responses during that stakeholder call.
Read MoreDo you have the right email addresses for the Hotline?
We have heard from the VAWA Unit at the Vermont Service Center (VSC) that some stakeholders may be reaching out to the VAWA Unit Hotlines using an incorrect email address, (e.g. sending an email to hotlinefollowupi918i914.vsc@dhs.gov, which is the wrong domain). Even when you reach out to the dhs.gov email, you may still receive an auto-response that your message…
Read MoreJoint Statement on Recent DOJ/DHS Report
ASISTA, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-based Violence, Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network, and Tahirih Justice Center issued a joint statement to the divisive and inaccurate White House statement and DOJ and DHS report issued this week, which among other things, requires the agencies to report on acts of gender-based violence committed by foreign nationals. The administration’s…
Read MoreNational Taskforce to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Statement on Ending Salvadoran TPS
On January 9, 2018, the National Taskforce to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (of which ASISTA is a co-chair of the immigration sub committee) issued a statement denouncing the Administration’s termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for El Salvador. If expelled from the United States, many of the 200,000 individuals now protected by Salvadoran…
Read More7th Circuit holds IJs have review of I-192 for U visa applicants
Many thanks, again, to Chuck Roth for NIJC for leading this effort. Baez-Sanchez reiterates the 7th Circuits findings in L.D.G. v. Holder, 744 F.3d 1022 (7th Cir. 2014), where it found that the BIA and IJs had (d)(3) waiver authority as to U visas. The BIA later disagreed in Matter of Khan, 26 I&N Dec. 797…
Read MoreASISTA joins amicus effort for work authorization for pending U visa applicants
ASISTA is proud to share the Amicus Brief related to bona fide work authorization while U visas are pending. The brief was filed in October in the Eastern District of New York. Many thanks to Celso Perez and Kurzban, Kurzban, Weinger, Tetzeli & Pratt for crafting the brief for us, to Julie Carpenter of Tahirih…
Read MoreBuzzfeed Article: Survivors Not Reaching Out for Help for Fear of Deportation
“President Trump’s policies are forcing undocumented immigrants who suffer domestic abuse to decide which is riskier: staying with their abusers, or going to court and possibly being detained by immigration agents.” Read full article here.
Read MorePost-Election Q & A for Advocates and Attorneys Serving Immigrant Survivors of Gender-based Violence
It is important for attorneys and advocates working with immigrant domestic violence/sexual assault survivors to understand what the anticipated changes in immigration policy might mean for the individuals and families they serve. For this reason, this post-election Q &A was prepared to explain how the anticipated changes may effect immigrant survivors of domestic and sexual…
Read More