News & Updates
On September 22, 2023, USCIS held an engagement to provide an update on the Humanitarian, Adjustment, Removing Conditions and Travel Documents (HART) Service Center, which included a Q&A portion. These are ASISTA’s notes from that engagement.
Read MoreFOR 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 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 MoreFOR 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 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 MoreOn June 23, 2023, ASISTA and Tahirih Justice Center submitted a comment to the Proposed Medicare and Medicaid Services rule that would extend health benefits under the ACA to DACA recipients, welcoming the change and advocating for inclusion of U petitioners prior to BFD/waitlist adjudication. Click here to access the letter.
Read MoreReflections 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 MoreClick 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 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 MoreOn 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.
Read MoreThese 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,…
Read MoreFOR 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 MoreFOR 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 MoreOn 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…
Read MoreFOR 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 MoreFOR 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…
Read MoreASISTA 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 MoreFOR 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,…
Read MoreFOR 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 MoreASISTA 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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