Law Enforcement Discrimination Against LGBTQ+ Communities
On October 18, the DHS Commission on Combatting Gender Based Violence ("CCGBV") responded to our
letter describing law enforcement discrimination against LGBTQ+ communities, dual arrest in IPV situations, and the unreliability of police reports, and asked for examples of the types of cases that have prompted our concerns.
We are seeking examples of the following:
- Cases in which LGBTQ+ survivors were denied U/T/VAWA relief because they chose not to submit a police report for an arrest that did not result in a conviction;
- Cases in which LGBTQ+ survivors were denied U/T/VAWA relief because of information in an uncorroborated police report;
- Cases in which USCIS ignored or discounted a documented connection between the arrest and the noncitizen’s gender-based violence (“GBV”) victimization in connection with U/T/VAWA relief; and
- Cases in which GBV survivors were denied U/T/VAWA relief because they failed to show evidence of “rehabilitation” after an arrest, even though the arrest was the result of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, the survivor was not the primary perpetrator of violence, and/or there was a connection between the arrest and GBV victimization.
Deadline: Friday, December 30, 2O22. We will send the examples to USCIS and invite them to meet with advocates who submitted
case examples. Please send your examples to Kelly Head (
kelly@asistahelp.org).
