Increased enforcement and Trump’s policy changes are causing some people to remain in abusive relationships rather than risk deportation, experts say.
By Alysia Santo
The Marshall Project
https://www.themarshallproject.org/
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This July, a man in Utah set his home on fire, killing himself, his 33-year-old partner, Jaimar Bravo Gil, and their children, police say. The family had moved to the U.S. from Venezuela, and Bravo Gil’s relatives said her partner had a history of violence but she had kept silent about most of the abuse for fear of being deported. She was not alone. At least two other women killed by their intimate partners this summer reportedly did not seek police help because they also feared deportation.
A growing chorus of attorneys, advocates and members of law enforcement are warning that the terror that has taken hold in immigrant communities is causing some people to remain in abusive relationships rather than risk deportation and separation from their families. While undocumented victims have always faced barriers in escaping abuse, experts say Trump administration policies have left them much more vulnerable.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.
Here are six changes impacting immigrant victims of domestic violence:
In January, DHS rolled back protections that kept immigration agents from entering “sensitive locations,” including domestic violence shelters and hospitals. DHS also began allowing enforcement at courthouses.
These changes have caused some domestic violence victims to think twice before seeking medical help, moving into a shelter, or seeking an order of protection, experts say.
There have been reports from across the country of immigration officers arresting people at courthouses, sometimes violently. A recent survey of more than 170 attorneys and advocates for immigrant survivors of domestic and sexual violence found that 70% said their clients had concerns about going to court for a matter related to their abuser.
Some jurisdictions are pushing back. In October, the top judge in Cook County, Illinois, which includes Chicago, issued a local order barring civil ICE arrests in and around courthouses. Weeks later, Illinois lawmakers passed legislation barring civil ICE arrests in all state courthouses.
ICE raids have also had an impact on domestic violence shelters in Los Angeles and elsewhere. One advocate shared a story of a client who waited two days after an assault to go to the hospital. She only went after her attorney told her it was safe, and was found to have a broken nose and eye socket, according to a press release from the Alliance for Immigrant Survivors.
The Laken Riley Act requires detaining undocumented immigrants accused of certain crimes, even petty ones. Advocates say this will wrongfully ensnare domestic violence victims.
It is common for the victim to be arrested along with the abuser, or for abusers to call the police on undocumented victims as a form of control, experts say. And sometimes, victims commit crimes to survive, like shoplifting diapers or food for their children.
