“These are times that try men’s souls.” -Thomas Paine Those words were penned by Thomas Paine during the American Revolution. There are eras where people’s characters are tested and this seems to be one of those times. When you look back at history, you see many examples of people who went against […]
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A Fact-sheet On VAWA 2013
Senate Bill S.47 is the bipartisan bill for the reauthorization of VAWA (Violence against Women Act), which was introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Michael Crapo (R-ID). Below is a fact-sheet about S.47, which was written and compiled by the Immigration Committee of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. […]
Read MoreVAWA National Day of Action
Below is a guest post written by our Legal Director Chris Mansour about the importance of VAWA reauthorization. Our client Lisa was raped by her stepfather for over a year, starting when she was nine years old. When he was finally caught, she courageously told the police what he had done to her, even though […]
Read MoreAbused Undocumented Immigrants Fear Speaking Up
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 […]
Read MoreHRI Client Among First to be Granted U-Visa for New Fiscal Year
One of our clients is among the first to be granted a U-Visa for the new fiscal year for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which started October 1st. In August, the USCIS announced they had reached the annual limit of 10,000 U-Visas available to applicants per year. Our client, a sexual assault survivor from Mexico, […]
Read MoreAbused Immigrants Count Too
Bill Holston and Chris Mansour co-wrote an editorial for the Dallas Morning News:
Read MoreA Quick Word on T Visas and U Visas
Immigrants in the United States often find themselves or their family members victims of serious crimes. T Visas are for immigrant survivors of labor or sex trafficking and U Visas are for immigrants who are victims of violent crimes. Despite passage of these special visas, the number of crimes committed and the number of crimes […]
Read MoreHRI Success Story: U-Visa Victory
HRI pro bono attorneys Arrissa Meyer and Nicole Somerville, with one of our premier pro bono firms, Haynes and Boone, just won a significant U Visa case. To obtain a U Visa, our client must prove that he or she: Has suffered substantial physical or mental abuse as the direct or indirect victim of a […]
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