Archive for January 2018
By Admin
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January 29, 2018
ASISTA, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-based Violence, Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network, and Tahirih Justice Center issued a joint statement to the divisive and inaccurate White House statement and DOJ and DHS report issued this week, which among other things, requires the agencies to report on acts of gender-based violence committed by foreign nationals. The administration’s discussion of gender-based violence appears to be at the cost of propagating an anti-immigrant agenda, which we stridently reject.
By Admin
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January 10, 2018
On January 9, 2018, the National Taskforce to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (of which ASISTA is a co-chair of the immigration sub committee) issued a statement denouncing the Administration’s termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for El Salvador. If expelled from the United States, many of the 200,000 individuals now protected by Salvadoran TPS will face grave danger and high levels of violence, including gender-based violence. The National Taskforce calls on the Trump Administration to reconsider its decision to end TPS and urges Congress to enact a permanent legislative solution. NTF TPS letter final -1-9-18
Recent Posts
By Maria Lazzarino
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April 28, 2026
This Practice Pointer synthesizes current recommendations for using USCIS customer service options for survivor-based relief applications. It also discusses how to supplement pending survivor-based petitions via mail, with the hotlines as a backup paper trail. As noted throughout, the information is accurate up to the publication date, but should always be cross-checked with information on USCIS’s website and Policy Manual for the most up-to-date government provisos. This project was supported by Grant No. 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.
By Maria Lazzarino
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April 28, 2026
On December 22, 2025, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) released an update to its Policy Manual relating to confidentiality protections located at 8 USC § 1367 (“1367 protections”). This Policy Alert will review the changes introduced by the policy update and provide initial guidance to practitioners filing cases affected by them. ASISTA will provide further guidance through training and written resources as warranted, and members are encouraged to request technical assistance for any individual case questions.
By Maria Lazzarino
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April 24, 2026
ASISTA is aware that the USCIS “Contact Us” page does not include information about which hotline address should be contacted for U cases with receipt numbers that start with IOE. After reaching out to USCIS, until the Contact Us page is updated to reflect their “final determination,” practitioners inquiring about U cases with receipt numbers starting with IOE should reach out to the VSC 918/914 hotline. See this Practice Alert for more information.
By Maria Lazzarino
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December 12, 2025
This Practice Alert summarizes USCIS’s new extreme vetting policies, including broad adjudication holds, re-review of previously approved cases, and heightened discretionary scrutiny, and explains their serious implications for immigrant survivors seeking safety and stability. It also provides practical guidance for practitioners on preparing clients for the impact of these measures and on developing case strategies and potential legal challenges.
By Maria Lazzarino
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December 12, 2025
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed HR-1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), which significantly impacts immigrant survivors of human trafficking. The law imposes new filing fees for immigration benefits, motions, and appeals before USCIS and EOIR, establishes additional financial penalties for certain immigration violations, and eliminates eligibility for a range of federal public benefits for many immigrants who were previously considered “qualified,” including trafficking survivors. This Practice Alert reviews these fee and penalty changes, explains the new restrictions on public benefits, and outlines the impact on trafficking survivors seeking T visas and other forms of humanitarian relief, offering guidance for practitioners on how to mitigate the law’s potential harms.