A recent op-ed on Fox News’ Latino website, describes first-hand how abused undocumented women fear speaking up because of risk of deportation.There is help for these women though, either through the VAWA (Violence Against Women Act), which allows domestic violence victims and their children to obtain work authorization and possibly permanent residence, or through the U-Visa which is for victims of violent crimes who have assisted in the investigation or prosecution of their attackers. With VAWA the victim must have suffered abuse at the hands of their U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident spouse.
In our Women and Children’s Program, roughly 67 percent of our cases during the last fiscal year were VAWA or U-Visa related. Click here to read the Fox News Latino op-ed.