Take Action: Protect Access to Safety for Immigrant Survivors
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has published a proposed rule that would prohibit “mixed-status” families from receiving federal housing assistance, endangering immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other gender-based abuses. For many immigrant survivors, the ability to leave and recover from abuse depends on whether they can keep themselves and their families housed and safe. By prohibiting survivors in mixed-status families from accessing housing assistance, the HUD proposed rule could lead to family separation, prevent survivors from leaving abusive relationships or compel them back into abusive relationships, and put traumatized survivors and their children at risk of homelessness.
The good news? The mixed-status family rule is currently a proposal and not yet in place. And the Alliance for Immigrant Survivors (AIS) is part of an amazing campaign, #KeepFamiliesTogether, that is harnessing the collective power of hundreds of leaders and organizations across the country to generate thousands of comments. The proposed rule was published on May 10 and the public has 60 days (May 10-July 9, 2019) to provide feedback on the impact the proposed rule will have on our families and communities. Join us in opposition to this harmful proposal by raising your voice and submitting your public comment on behalf of survivors by July 9, 2019.
How to submit your comment
The administration is required by law to review and respond to every unique public comment they receive about the proposed regulation. AIS and our partners drafted some sample comments for you and strongly encourage you to edit the text using your own words and stories since the government keeps track of unique comments.
Download or copy/paste one of the sample comments below:
For drafting comments specific to domestic violence and sexual assault survivors. You can find and download - Google Doc / Word / PDF
For drafting multi-sector comments, including communities of color, people with disabilities, and other sectors. You can request the comment template.
Edit as you wish to personalize them and make them unique using the introduction for organizations/coalitions.
Submit your comment one of two ways:
For comments that include hyperlinks, accompanying documents, citations: Visit regulations.gov, click on the blue “Comment Now!” button, and then upload your comments as a PDF.
For comments you are submitting as an individual or that do not include accompanying documents and links: Visit #KeepFamiliesTogether and copy/paste your comments in the textbox.
Contact us if you have any questions or problems.
Some commenting tips:
The administration is requiring that all comments be submitted in English.
Ideally, your comments explain how this rule change will harm immigrant survivors, which could include you, your family, or your community.
If you do not want to include any personal information, a friend or representative can submit a comment for you.
If you have any questions about this process, please contact info@immigrantsurvivors.org.
Additional Resources
This advisory, “How Do Recent HUD Proposed Rules About Verification of Immigration Status Impact Survivors of Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault?,” was drafted by Grace Huang, AIS Co-Chair and Policy Director with the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (May 2019)
#KeepFamiliesTogether has put together a resources page with factsheets, talking points, social media toolkits, and other resources to provide you with more information on the mixed-status family proposed rule.