News & Updates

ASISTA Celebrates the Launch of US’s First-Ever National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (GBV)(May 25, 2023)

By Maria Lazzarino | 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…

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ASISTA’s Cristina Velez Named NGO Lawyer of the Year by the Federal Bar Association Immigration Law Section 

By Ahlam Moussa | May 15, 2023 |

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!

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Overview of the New Humanitarian, Adjustment, Removing Conditions and Travel Documents (HART) Service Center (April 20, 2023)

By Maria Lazzarino | Apr 26, 2023 |

On April 20, 2023, USCIS held an engagement to provide an overview of the new Humanitarian, Adjustment, Removing Conditions and Travel Documents (HART) Service Center, which included a Q&A portion. These are ASISTA’s notes from that engagement.

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Immigrant Visa Flowcharts for Derivatives of VAWA and U Principals

By Maria Lazzarino | Apr 6, 2023 |

These four flowcharts were created by Esther Limb, Supervising Attorney at Her Justice, in connection with ASISTA’s March 2023 Virtual CLE Conference, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Derivatives.” They are current as of March 2023. The flowcharts depict the processes to follow for derivative beneficiaries and other relatives of VAWA and U petitioners,…

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Press Release: ASISTA Welcomes New Board Members

By Ahlam Moussa | Apr 3, 2023 |

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.

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Press Release: ASISTA Statement on USCIS Opening New HART Service Center for Humanitarian Relief

By Ahlam Moussa | Mar 31, 2023 |

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…

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ASISTA and collaborators AILA, ICWC, CAST, and ILRC delivered a letter to USCIS Re: Biometrics for U and T Visa Applicants Abroad (Feb. 2023)

By Maria Lazzarino | Mar 10, 2023 |

On February 14, 2023 ASISTA and collaborators AILA, ICWC, CAST, and ILRC delivered a letter to USCIS raising concerns about the unavailability of biometrics appointments for U and T visa petitioners and their derivatives abroad, and the negative consequences resulting from their inability to complete application requirements, including prolonged family separation and even unfair denials…

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Press Release: ASISTA Calls on Biden Administration to Reject Reinstating Detention of Migrant Families

By Ahlam Moussa | Mar 8, 2023 |

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,…

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Brand-New: ASISTA & Ujima Release Practice Advisory on Anti-Blackness & Immigrant GBV Survivors (Feb. 2023)

By Ahlam Moussa | Feb 9, 2023 |

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 9, 2023 Contacts:  Kirsten Rambo, kirsten@asistahelp.org  Cristina Velez, cristina@asistahelp.org  ASISTA Releases Practice Advisory on  Anti-Blackness and Immigrant Survivors of Gender-Based Violence  in Collaboration with Ujima, Inc.  The racism that pervades the US immigration system creates particular hardships for Black survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). ASISTA and Ujima, Inc. (the National Center…

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New Resource on Introduction to Survivor-Based Immigration Relief (Jan. 2023)

By Ahlam Moussa | Jan 31, 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…

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ASISTA Releases Practice Advisory on Representing Criminalized Immigrant Survivors (Jan. 2023) 

By Ahlam Moussa | Jan 18, 2023 |

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 18, 2023 Contacts:  Kirsten Rambo, kirsten@asistahelp.org  Cristina Velez, cristina@asistahelp.org  ASISTA Releases Practice Advisory on Representing Criminalized Immigrant Survivors ASISTA has released a practice advisory for immigration practitioners that provides an introduction to the impacts of criminal-legal system contacts on eligibility for survivor-based immigration relief. Immigrant survivors may be criminalized for many reasons,…

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ASISTA releases Practice Alert on Abortion Rights for Immigrant Survivors: The Impact of Dobbs on Representation of Immigrant Survivors Seeking Reproductive Healthcare (Jan. 2023)

By Ahlam Moussa | Jan 12, 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.…

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Letter to DOJ from anti-violence community (Dec. 2022)

By Maria Lazzarino | Dec 9, 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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ASISTA Welcomes New Senior Staff Attorney!

By Ahlam Moussa | Nov 11, 2022 |

ASISTA Immigration Assistance is thrilled to welcome Rebecca Eissenova (she/her/ella) to the team. ASISTA members and friends will see Rebecca bringing her deep expertise to support our mission through training, technical assistance, practice advisories, and more. See more about Rebecca here.

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New Resource: ASISTA’s Flyer: Services to OVW Grantees & Sub-grantees (Updated Nov. 2022)

By Maria Lazzarino | Nov 10, 2022 | Comments Off on New Resource: ASISTA’s Flyer: Services to OVW Grantees & Sub-grantees (Updated Nov. 2022)

The updated ASISTA’s Flyer has direct links to the orientation session recording and other service for OVW LAV grantees/sub-grantees and STOP sub-grantees.

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Look what we did together!

By Ahlam Moussa | Oct 25, 2022 |

Take a look at what we did this last year with your support of ASISTA and immigrant survivors of violence!

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ASISTA Job Opportunity

By Ahlam Moussa | Aug 25, 2022 |

Position Description: Senior Staff Attorney

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Including Justice Involved People in Executive Order (EO) 14076, “Protecting Access to Reproductive Healthcare Services.”

By Ahlam Moussa | Aug 11, 2022 |

ASISTA supports this letter led by Senators Schatz and Hirono, and joined by several other senators, advocating for protections for pregnant people in federal custody, including immigration detention and alternatives to detention.”

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Letter from ASISTA to USCIS addressing mismatch between DHS employment authorization regulations and Social Security Administration (“SSA”) guidance

By Ahlam Moussa | Aug 9, 2022 |

ASISTA wrote to the USCIS Office of Policy & Strategy and asked them to communicate with SSA about the mismatch between SSA’s policy on evidence of work authorization for U nonimmigrants who request Social Security Numbers (“SSNs”) and DHS regulations on employment authorization for U nonimmigrants.”

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Ankle monitors raise risks for U.S. abortion-seekers (trust.org)

By Ahlam Moussa | Jul 25, 2022 |

In this article, ASISTA Executive Director Kirsten Rambo weighs in on women having the right to seek an abortion privately, without surveillance.

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