On October 13, 2020, ASISTA submitted a comment in response to USCIS harmful new proposed rule that would pose significant privacy, confidentiality and safety implications for immigrant survivors of domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking, and other gender-based abuses.
COVID-19 is exacerbating the already tremendous barriers survivors face in accessing safety and secure status. Although we are pushing Congress to change its policies to recognize COVID’s impact on survivors and their ability to file paper, get work authorization extensions, etc., we need your help educating your Members of Congress .
by: Cecelia Friedman Levin, ASISTA Policy Director with Grace Huang, Policy Director, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-based Violence
ASISTA condemns the Administration’s plans for mass raids, now slated to start this Su nday . These mass immigration enforcement actions create immense fear in communities nationwide. For immigrant survivors of violence, these raids exacerbate the trauma and fear they already endure because of the abuse they have experienced.
Last week, the Administration announced that they would delay the mass raids scheduled for last week. Even though these actions have been briefly delayed, the announcement of these mass immigration enforcement actions created immense fear nationwide. For immigrant survivors of violence, this news exacerbates the trauma and fear they already endure because of the abuse they have experienced. Advocates can help address this fear by providing critical know your rights information and sharing ways to prepare themselves in the event they are confronted by ICE. Below is a list of actions practitioners working with immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking can take now to help survivors who are at risk of an immigration enforcement action.
This week ASISTA Immigration Assistance is privileged to join National Immigrant Justice Center, Human Rights First and over 150 organizations in submitting a comment in response to the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security adoption of an interim final rule barring access to asylum for those who enter the United States outside ports of entry. You can read the comment here .
In November 2018, ASISTA fought back on harmful USCIS changes to fee waiver practices and forms. USCIS is creating barriers to equal access to survivor protections, especially for survivors who have few financial resources of their own. ASISTA created a template comment for advocates to share how these damaging changes affect survivors, and you can read ASISTA’s fee waiver comment here.