Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.

CLINIC works to help immigrant survivors of domestic violence and victims of trafficking and enslavement by providing both technical assistance and direct services. In particular, CLINIC offers advocate training sessions on the types of immigration relief available to victims of abuse and other crimes, as well as direct technical assistance to Catholic Charities offices that represent victims of crime. CLINIC also helps survivors escape from dangerous situations and obtain legal residence on their own, while assisting them with shelter, long-term housing, food, clothing, employment, job training, and mental health and legal counseling.

Foreign-born women are likely to stay in abusive relationships if they rely on being married to a citizen or permanent resident to legalize their immigration status. Without this status, undocumented women cannot legally work or become economically independent. These women are often trapped in violent relationships because they fear deportation, separation from their children, and impoverishment. Too often, their plight is unseen, unheard, and unresolved.

Victims of trafficking and enslavement--particularly women and children removed from their families--are also vulnerable to crime, as their undocumented status makes it more difficult for them to come forward and identify themselves as victims in need of help. Having migrated to the United States due to desperate economic circumstances in their home countries, many trafficked workers find themselves enslaved or indentured to pay off immense transportation debts. Others are lured to the United States with the promise of a well-paying job, but instead find themselves forced to work in sweatshops, agricultural fields, or as prostitutes.

Various obstacles prevent immigrant survivors of domestic violence and victims of trafficking and enslavement from seeking help, including poverty, fear of being alone, and cultural and language barriers. However, there are a number of legal options that these victims can pursue under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act.

To help meet the needs of these vulnerable populations, CLINIC has recently:

• Authored two manuals entitled The VAWA Manual: Immigration Relief for Abused Immigrants (written with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center under a generous grant from the California Endowment) and A Guide for Legal Advocates Providing Services to Victims of Human Trafficking (written with MRS and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles under generous grants from the Office of Refugee and Resettlement);
• Produced a manual entitled Immigration Relief for Abused Immigrants for its member agencies on visa applications;
• Advocated with federal immigration authorities for effective implementation of the new U visa for victims of trafficking; and
• Provided trainings and legal technical support on T and U visa applications.

For additional information on the VAWA Immigration Project, please contact Jack Holmgren at  jholmgren@cliniclegal.org or 415-394-8074.