News

By Kirsten Rambo April 9, 2025
For more information on our mission, programs, and finances, here is ASISTA’s most recent year 990 . ASISTA’s fiscal year is July 1 to June 30.
By Ahlam Moussa November 6, 2024
Here at ASISTA, we share your sadness, outrage, and deep concern about what the future holds. We have also been preparing for this possible outcome.
By Ahlam Moussa November 1, 2024
By Cristina Velez, Veronica Sainz, and Kirsten Rambo
By Ahlam Moussa September 16, 2024
On Wed., Sep. 11, the Arizona Capitol Times published an article describing the recent changes to regulations on T visas for human trafficking survivors, for which ASISTA attorney Rebecca Eissenova was interviewed. “Our organization very much applauds USCIS for doing this because it provides durability and predictability for survivors in the face of any kind of changing political winds, which is important to anybody, but especially important for survivors who have had a lot of instability in their lives,” Eissenova said. Read the full article here
By Ahlam Moussa September 14, 2024
On August 26th, ASISTA Staff Attorney Lia Ocasio spoke with Voz De America about the controversy on the New Parole in Place Program which is meant to provide Immigration Relief for US spouses. Click here to view.
By Ahlam Moussa August 29, 2024
ASISTA Immigration Assistance is pleased to announce the addition of two new members to its Board of Directors: Ms. Salima Dembri and Ms. Sheelu Verma. Learn more about our newest board members in our press release here .
By Ahlam Moussa June 28, 2024
LGBTQ+ Immigrant Survivors at Greater Risk
By Ahlam Moussa June 25, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 25, 2024
By Ahlam Moussa June 5, 2024
ASISTA Denounces President Biden’s Dangerous Border Proclamation
By Ahlam Moussa May 15, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 15, 2024
By Maria Lazzarino December 22, 2023
On December 22, 2023, ASISTA published an update of our federal policy activities from October to December of 2023 , including legislative advocacy, stakeholder meetings and advocacy letters, submitted comments, and provided notification of upcoming deadlines for comments to form revisions, and an update regarding the final and proposed regulations for survivor-based relief expected in early 2024.
By Ahlam Moussa October 30, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 30 , 2023
By Ahlam Moussa September 29, 2023
New York Times Bestselling Memoirist Javier Zamora & Award-Winning Journalist Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! to Speak at ASISTA’s 15-Year Anniversary Celebration
By Ahlam Moussa July 21, 2023
KCBX 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 .
By Ahlam Moussa July 20, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 19, 2023
By Ahlam Moussa July 18, 2023
ASISTA 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 broader field seeking justice for survivors of gender-based violence. Here at ASISTA, we particularly appreciate that Rosie has worked tirelessly over many years to elevate the needs and realities of immigrant survivors in state, local, and national arenas.

Recent Posts

By Maria Lazzarino 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 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 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 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 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.