Resources for Survivors and Advocates
This section contains general resources and other useful information translated in several languages to assist immigrant survivors with their rights in this country. It also contains resources for immigration attorneys, practitioners, advocates, community organizers, and anyone working with immigrant survivors at risk of removal.
Resources for Survivors
National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800- 799-7233; Online Chat; Linea de Ayuda en Español (24/7 Language Line Access)
National Sexual Assault Hotline
1-800-656-4673; Online Hotline; Linea de Ayuda en Español
Emerging Solutions for Domestic Violence: Technology, Teens, & Domestic Violence
This new resource from Sunshine Behavioral Health discusses emerging solutions to domestic violence. This resource also discusses teen dating violence and ways people are reaching out to teenagers to prevent domestic violence through education. It also includes a list of free hotlines and organizations for domestic violence victims to reach out to, if needed as well as a shelter locator.
Safety Planning for Family and Friends
This is a great tool developed by Break the Cycle. It's an interactive feature that assists youth and young adults in customizing a safety plan online.
Español: Planificación de Seguridad para Familiares y Amigos
Esta es una gran herramienta desarrollada por Break the Cycle. Es una función interactiva que ayuda a jóvenes y adultos jóvenes a personalizar un plan de seguridad en línea.
Resource List
This resource list includes basic information about immigration, rights and access to services, U visas, VAWA, trafficking, safety planning, and general practice resources.
Immigration Benefits for Survivors
WomensLaw Legal Information
This website provides basic information of the legal immigration options and your rights in this country.
Know Your Rights
Know Your Rights and What Families Should Do Now
Know Your Rights and What Families Should Do Now is a brief advisory about the rights everyone has in the U.S.
ILRC Family Preparedness Plan
This packet will help everyone create a Family Preparedness Plan, regardless of immigration status.
Español: Plan de Preparación Familiar de ILRC
Este paquete le ayudará a crear un plan de preparación familiar, independientemente de su estatus migratorio.
Step Forward
Step Forward/Hacia Delante is a resource for women immigrants developed by We Belong Together, Immigration Advocates Network and the National Domestic Worker Alliance, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum and Probono.net with advocacy tools, legal directory, and know your rights materials.
Español: Hacia Delante
Hacia Delante es un recurso para mujeres inmigrantes desarrollado por We Belong Together, Immigration Advocates Network y National Domestic Worker Alliance, Foro Nacional Asiático de Mujeres del Pacífico Americano y Probono.net con herramientas de promoción, directorio legal y materiales para conocer sus derechos.
Applessed Deportation Manual
Appleseed deportation manual is a comprehensive resource designed for immigrants and service providers to develop plans related to financial and family issues in the event of deportation, arrest and other family emergencies. ASISTA and Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (API-GBV) are proud to author the chapter on Domestic Violence issues.
CLINIC Resources - Know Your Rights
Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. has extensive KYR materials available including comprehensive guides, one-pagers, and powerpoint presentations. Know Your Rights: A Guide to Know Your Rights When Interacting with Law Enforcement.
Available in English Spanish Amharic Chinese and in other languages.
CLINIC Know Your Rights Quick Guides: Available in English, Español/Spanish, Amharic and Chinese.
ACLU Resources - Know Your Rights One-Pagers
ACLU Know Your Rights One-Pagers. Quick resource guide to your rights is stopped by police, immigration (ICE) or FBI. Available in English (Arabic) العَرَبِيَّة中文(简) (Chinese), Creole فارسی (Farsi) Français (French) Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian) 한국어 (Korean) Português (Portuguese) Soomaali (Somali), Español (Spanish) Tagalog (Urdu) اُردُو, Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
ACLU Resources - Know Your Rights Videos
ACLU Know Your Rights Videos: Available in English, (Arabic) العَرَبِيَّة, فارسی (Farsi), Español (Spanish), (Urdu) اُردُو
Immigrant Access to Public Benefits
Mapping Public Benefits for Immigrants in the States
Pew map showing public benefits to immigrant in the States.
Immigrant Access to Public Benefits:
NIWAP Public Benefits Map shows the different types of benefits an immigrant survivor may be eligible for, including TANF, Health Care, Child Care, Driver's License, etc., available here
Immigrant Access to Education
Accessing the American Dream: Pursuing College as an Undocumented Student
This guide provides key resources and strategies undocumented students can use to to overcome roadblocks that can make attending and affording college more challenging.
Publications/Training Resources
NEWLY DESIGNED! Top Ten Things Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Advocates Should Know About Immigrant Survivors (Original, Dec. 8, 2023- Newly Designed: Sept. 2024)
ASISTA's Top Ten List for domestic violence & sexual assault advocates aims to inform advocates about key concepts and barriers impacting immigrant survivors of gender-based violence, while providing resources to help overcome them.
This project was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-21-GK-02240-MUMU & 15JOVW-23-GK-05161-MUMU awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.
U Visas for Victims of Crime in the Workplace: A Practice Manual (May 19, 2014)
This practice manual was written by Eunice Cho from the National Employment Law Project. The practice manual is free, and available for download.
Where Do We Go From Here? Challenges Facing Transnational Migrant Families between the US and Mexico (October 2013)
This is a publication produced by IMUMI, the Institute for Women in Migration, a non-profit organization based in Mexico City that works to represent the voices of women affected by migration in the Mexican context.This resource depicts the various challenges faced by transnational family that often intersect with issues of violence, immigration, child welfare, and child custody. The report is also available in Spanish on their website, www.imumi.org.
Seeking Asylum: Pro Se Manual for DV Survivors (available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, 2013)
The Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) is pleased to announce the release of our pro se manual for survivors of domestic violence seeking asylum, withholding of removal and Convention Against Torture protection in the United States – available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. We developed this manual in response to a call from advocates, and in recognition of the countless women who are eligible for asylum but due to lack of information and/or lack of access to legal representation, do not receive the protection they deserve. Our release of all three versions of this pro se manual is particularly timely given the refugee crisis at our border, and the thousands of women and girls fleeing domestic abuse in Central America.
Breaking the Silence (January 2006)
Sonia Parras wrote Breaking the Silence: A Training Manual for Activists, Advocates and Latina Organizers. Produced by the Family Violence Prevention Fund with financial support provided by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice.
Rompiendo el Silence (Octubre 2003)
Sonia Parras escribió Rompiendo el Silencio: Un manual de capacitación para activistas, activistas y organizadores latinos. Producido por Fondo de Prevención de Violencia Familiar con el apoyo financiero de la Oficina de Violencia Hacia la Mujer del Departamento de Justicia de EE. UU.
Defensa y Promoción de la Mujer Latina: Manual para Profesionales y Trabajadoras de la Comunidad. Sonia Parras-Konrad, Autora (2002)
Este proyecto se hizo con aporte de la concesión No. 2001-WT-BX-K004 otorgada por la Oficina de Violencia Contra la Mujer, Office on Violence Against Women, del Departamento de Justicia de los Estados Unidos.
Las opiniones en este documento son de la Alianza Latina Nacional para Erradicar la Violencia Doméstica y no representan necesariamente la posición o política oficial del Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos.
Building the Rhythm of Change (1999)
Gail Pendleton wrote this manual for the Family Violence Prevention Fund’s project on developing leadership and improving services for battered immigrants.
General Immigration Resources
Checklist: Initial Documents Immigrant Survivors May Need (Nov. 2023)
This checklist suggests documents that social workers and advocates working with immigrant survivors may wish to help the survivors to gather. They may become useful for pending or future immigration application. Most people will not have all of these, but if your client has them, see if you can help obtain a copy.
This project was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-21-GK-02240-MUMU awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.
Glossary of Immigration Terms
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service, the government agency that is in charge of accepting applications for immigration benefits, created a glossary of common immigration terms which is available online.
Español: Glosario de Términos de Inmigración
El Servicio de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de los Estados Unidos, la agencia gubernamental que está a cargo de aceptar solicitudes de beneficios de inmigración, creó un glosario de términos de inmigración común que está disponible en línea.
Immigration Options for Victims of Crimes Chart
This chart was created by ASISTA, Freedom Network, KIND, and Tahirih Justice Center for a side-by-side comparison of different forms of relief, requirements, benefits and procedures.
Presentación del USCIS de Cómo Navegar la Página Web en Español
Esta presentación explica paso a paso como navegar el sitio web para ver el estatus de su caso.
Tools for Working with Immigrant Survivors
New Advocacy Tool: Tell Congress to Stand with Immigrant Survivors (August, 2019)
ASISTA with support from the Alliance for Immigrant Survivors (AIS) has released an advocacy toolkit to help those who work with survivors engage in advocacy efforts with their members of Congress.
Guidelines for Victims of Crime Advocate Declaration
Victim of crime advocate (Expert) declaration guidelines on substantial abuse prepared by Gail Pendleton.
Domestic Violence Advocate Affidavit Guidelines
These guidelines outline what kind of information affidavits should include, as well as factors that may prove extreme hardship.
Power and Control Wheel
Representation of the different tactics of power and control used against immigrant women.
Rueda de Poder y Control
Representación de las diferentes tácticas de poder y control utilizadas contra mujeres inmigrantes.