News
ASISTA Celebrates USCIS Fee Schedule Rule as Victory for Immigrant Survivors of Violence
Dear Members, On January 31, 2024, USCIS published its Final Rule Adjusting the USCIS Fee Schedule. The new regulation, which goes into effect on April 1, 2024, is a significant victory for immigrants applying for survivor-based benefits. ASISTA and our partners pushed for the rule to be as expansive as possible in its humanitarian fee…
Read MorePress Release: ASISTA Urges Senators to Reject Border Deal that Exposes Immigrant Survivors to Further Trauma, Hardship, and Violence (February 6, 2024)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 6, 2024 Contact: Cristina Velez, cristina@asistahelp.org ASISTA Urges Senators to Reject Border Deal that Exposes Immigrant Survivors to Further Trauma, Hardship, and Violence After months of opaque negotiations, a small group of senators released a bill on Sunday, February 4, 2024 that would eviscerate access to asylum, create a dangerous new…
Read MoreClaim Your 2024 Badge: I Stand With Immigrant Survivors! (January 31, 2024)
ASISTA Federal Policy Update (December 2023)
On December 22, 2023, ASISTA published an update of our federal policy activities from October to December of 2023, including legislative advocacy, stakeholder meetings and advocacy letters, submitted comments, and provided notification of upcoming deadlines for comments to form revisions, and an update regarding the final and proposed regulations for survivor-based relief expected in early…
Read MorePress Release: ASISTA Welcomes New Board Members
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 30, 2023 Contact: Kirsten Rambo, kirsten@asistahelp.org ASISTA Welcomes New Board Members ASISTA Immigration Assistance is pleased to announce the addition of two new members to its Board of Directors: Melissa Desgrottes and Derek Foran. Learn more about our new board members in our press release here.
Read MoreNew York Times Bestselling Memoirist Javier Zamora & Award-Winning Journalist Amy Goodman to Speak at ASISTA’s 15-Year Anniversary Celebration
New York Times Bestselling Memoirist Javier Zamora & Award-Winning Journalist Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! to Speak at ASISTA’s 15-Year Anniversary Celebration Join us on October 18th for our online celebration, Honoring our Past, Igniting our Future, to hear these two internationally-recognized luminaries share their wisdom and experience, inspiring us all in the fight for safety, justice, and dignity for immigrant…
Read MorePress Release: Advocates for Immigrant Survivors of Violence Urge Governor Hochul to Sign Fair Courts for Immigrant New Yorkers Bill Into Law
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 21, 2023 Contact: Cristina Velez, cristina@asistahelp.org Yasmine Farhang, yasmine@immdefense.org Advocates for Immigrant Survivors of Violence Urge Governor Hochul to Sign Fair Courts for Immigrant New Yorkers Bill Into Law ALBANY, N.Y.— Over two dozen national and New York-based advocates for immigrant survivors of violence today called on Governor Hochul to sign…
Read MoreKCBX Radio Interview with ASISTA Executive Director, Kirsten Rambo
KCBX FM Central Coast Public Radio recently sat down with our Executive Director, Kirsten Rambo, to hear about ASISTA and her recent trip to the White House for the launch of the US’s first-ever National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. Listen to the interview here.
Read MoreASISTA Condemns Horrific, Inhumane Treatment of Migrants in Texas (July 19, 2023)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 19, 2023 Contact: Kirsten Rambo, kirsten@asistahelp.org ASISTA Condemns Horrific, Inhumane Treatment of Migrants in Texas As documented by the Houston Chronicle and other outlets such as The Guardian and CNN, a trooper-medic with the Texas Department of Public Safety expressed concern to his supervisor earlier this month about the inhumane ways…
Read MoreASISTA Congratulates Rosie Hidalgo, Newly Confirmed Director of DOJ’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW)
ASISTA is delighted to share that Rosie Hidalgo, a nationally recognized leader and expert on gender-based violence, has been confirmed as the new Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) at the Department of Justice (DOJ). Rosie’s decades of experience and deep expertise will be a tremendous asset to OVW and to the…
Read MoreASISTA Honors LGBTQIA+ Immigrant Survivors:
Reflections and Resources June 2023 This Pride month and every month, ASISTA celebrates the resilience and bravery of queer and trans immigrants who journey to find safety, love, and self-determination in this country. We also acknowledge that these promises are not always fulfilled, and that LGBTQ+ immigrant survivors face multiple barriers to living free from…
Read MoreASISTA FY2022 990 & Audited Financial Statements
For more information on our mission, programs, and finances, here are ASISTA’s most recent year 990 and Audited Financial Statements.
Read MoreASISTA Celebrates the Launch of US’s First-Ever National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (GBV)(May 25, 2023)
Click here to access release in PDF format. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 25, 2023 Contact: Kirsten Rambo, kirsten@asistahelp.org ASISTA Celebrates the Launch of US’s First-Ever National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (GBV) ASISTA is pleased to be at the White House complex today to witness the historic launch of the first-ever National Action Plan…
Read MoreASISTA’s Cristina Velez Named NGO Lawyer of the Year by the Federal Bar Association Immigration Law Section
ASISTA is pleased to announce that Legal & Policy Director Cristina Velez was awarded the2023 NGO Lawyer of the Year Award at the Federal Bar Association (FBA) Immigration LawConference last week in Arlington, VA. Read here for more details!
Read MorePress Release: ASISTA Welcomes New Board Members
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 3, 2023 Contact: Kirsten Rambo, kirsten@asistahelp.org ASISTA Welcomes New Board Members ASISTA Immigration Assistance is pleased to announce the addition of new members to its Board of Directors: Barbara Camacho, Daniel Garcia, Kerri-Ann Griggs, Helen Hwang, & Kelley Torrey. Learn more about our new board members in our press release here.
Read MorePress Release: ASISTA Statement on USCIS Opening New HART Service Center for Humanitarian Relief
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 31, 2023 Contacts:Kirsten Rambo, kirsten@asistahelp.orgCristina Velez, cristina@asistahelp.org ASISTA Statement on USCIS’s Opening of Humanitarian, Adjustment, Removing Conditions, and Travel Documents (HART) Service Center In a major announcement, USCIS has revealed the opening of the Humanitarian, Adjustment, Removing Conditions, and Travel Documents (HART) Service Center, a brand-new addition to its Service Center…
Read MorePress Release: ASISTA Calls on Biden Administration to Reject Reinstating Detention of Migrant Families
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 8, 2023 Contacts:Kirsten Rambo, kirsten@asistahelp.orgCristina Velez, cristina@asistahelp.org ASISTA Calls on Biden Administration to Reject Reinstating Detention of Migrant Families The New York Times has reported that the Biden administration is now considering reinstating the detaining of migrant families, a callous, destructive policy that has been widely condemned–including, previously, by the President himself. In response to this news,…
Read MoreNew Resource on Introduction to Survivor-Based Immigration Relief (Jan. 2023)
ASISTA has prepared an introductory resource on survivor-based immigration relief for beginner practitioners and domestic violence and sexual assault advocates. The resource provides an overview of common immigration terms and the eligibility criteria for common forms of survivor-based relief, including U and T visas and related adjustment applications, VAWA Self-Petitions and VAWA adjustment, battered spouse…
Read MoreASISTA releases Practice Alert on Abortion Rights for Immigrant Survivors: The Impact of Dobbs on Representation of Immigrant Survivors Seeking Reproductive Healthcare (Jan. 2023)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 12, 2023 Contacts: Kirsten Rambo, kirsten@asistahelp.org Cristina Velez, cristina@asistahelp.org ASISTA has released a practice alert for immigration and gender-based violence advocates and attorneys, regarding the impact of abortion restrictions on immigration status after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Given the increase in abortion restrictions and threats of criminalization that have followed the U.S.…
Read MoreLetter to DOJ from anti-violence community (Dec. 2022)
ASISTA and the Alliance for Immigrant Survivors led a sign on letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging him to vacate and overrule three precedents that prevent immigration adjudicators from respecting post-conviction or sentencing relief granted to immigrant survivors under state and federal law. The letter, which was joined by 68 organizations and 13 individuals,…
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