Resources

The Alliance for Immigrant Survivors (AIS) has developed and curated resources from our partners to help our community collectively defend and advocate for policies that ensure immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, and other gender-based abuses have access to life-saving protections that all survivors of violence deserve. The resources are listed below, separated by issue.

You may also view recent AIS action alerts on the Take Action page. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact info@immigrantsurvivors.org.

Recent Resources:

ALLIANCE FOR IMMIGRANT SURVIVORS (AIS) RESOURCES

AIS Sign-on Letter with 96 Organizations: Advocates Warn of Devastating Impact of Asylum Ban on Immigrant Survivors of Gender-Based Violence, Urge Biden Administration to Reverse Course | March 2023

AIS Sign-on Letter with 66 Organizations: DHS Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Act and the accompanying Committee Report | March 2023

AIS Comment with 56 organizations: DHS NPRM on USCIS Fee Rule | March 2023

AIS: New DHS Guidance Regarding Immigrant Workers and Protection from Deportation | January 2023

AIS: Actualización de política: Nueva guía del DHS con respecto a los trabajadores inmigrantes y la protección contra la deportación | January 2023

AIS Top 5 Asks | Fall 2021

AIS Letter to House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship - “Why Don’t They Just Get in Line?” Barriers to Legal Immigration | April 2021

AIS Administrative Priorities for the Biden-Harris Administration: Strengthen the Immigration Response to Survivors of Gender-Based Violence - detailed priorities | March 2021

AIS Administrative Priorities for the Biden-Harris Administration: Strengthen the Immigration Response to Survivors of Gender-Based Violence - big picture priorities | March 2021

AIS Priority Principles Addressing Immigrant Survivors in Federal Legislation - detailed priorities | March 2021

AIS Priority Principles Addressing Immigrant Survivors in Federal Legislation - big picture priorities | March 2021

AIS Letter to House Judiciary Committee: The Needs of Immigrant Survivors and Comprehensive Immigration Reform | February 2021

Changes to Asylum Policy are Undermining Protections for Survivors of Violence Infographic

Changes to Immigration Court System are Undermining Protections for Survivors of Violence Infographic

Changes to Immigration System Policies are Undermining Protections for Survivors of Violence Infographic

COVID-19 Pandemic Resources for Immigrant Survivors & Advocates | April 2020

AIS Social Media Toolkit: Tell Congress to Address Needs of ALL Survivors in Next COVID Stimulus Package | April 2020

The Administration Continually Narrows Path to Safety and Protection | March 2020

Vote “YES” on Amendments to H.R. 2486 | March 2020

Advocacy Toolkit: Tell Congress to Support the Immigrant Victim and Witness Protection Act (IVWPA & VAWA) (PDF) | August 2019

Survey: Immigrant Survivors Fear Reporting Violence | May 2019

Alliance for Immigrant Survivors Public Charge Toolkit

How the Administration is Reshaping the Immigration System to Undermine Protections for Survivors of Violence

AIS STATEMENTS & NEWSLETTERS

STATEMENTS

AIS Statement: New Rule Expanding Affordable Care Act Eligibility a Milestone for Many but Excludes Some Immigrant Survivors of Violence | May 2024

AIS Statement: Senate Funding Deal Would Gut Asylum Protections and Harm Immigrant Survivors | February 2024

AIS Media Release: Government Audit Mischaracterizes USCIS’ U Visa Program, Ignores Challenges Facing Immigrant Survivors of Violence | January 15, 2022
We challenge the OIG report which ignores one of the major purposes of the U-visa program, which is to provide stability and protection for victims of trauma and abuse.

AIS Statement: AIS Applauds House Passage of VAWA Reauthorization, Urges Addition of Immigrant Provisions in Senate Version | March 18, 2021
See our statement on how H.R. 1620 doesn’t solve the problems facing tens of thousands of immigrant survivors who are in a worse position, facing additional threats, than they were four years ago.

AIS Statement: Welcome SCOTUS Decision Protects DACA Recipients, Including Those Who Are Survivors of Violence | June 18, 2020
See our statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to reject the Administration’s efforts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program ruling that the Administration’s rescission of the program was arbitrary and capricious.

AIS Media Release: Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Organizations Oppose Harmful Public Charge Rule | September 10, 2019
Over 40 of the nation’s leading organizations dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault filed an amicus brief supporting one of a growing number of lawsuits aimed at blocking implementation of the administration’s harmful public charge rule.

AIS Statement: New Public Charge Rule Harms Immigrant Families and Puts Victims of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence at Risk | August 14, 2019
AIS strongly opposes the public charge rule which deters survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault from accessing critical protections they need to escape or recover from abuse.

AIS Statement: AIS Denounces Latest Attempt to End Asylum | July 17, 2019
AIS denounces dangerous new policy that will close our doors to refugees fleeing persecution and return them to danger.

AIS Statement: The Alliance for Immigrant Survivors Denounces Administration's Increased Immigration Enforcement Arrests | June 21, 2019
The Alliance for Immigrant Survivors condemns any raids that separate families or endanger survivors of gender-based violence and their families.

AIS Statement: The Alliance for Immigrant Survivors Applauds the House for Passing VAWA 2019 | April 4, 2019
Statement from the Alliance for Immigrant Survivors (AIS) on the passing of H.R. 1585, the Violence Against Women Act 2019, by the House of Representatives

NEWSLETTERS

AIS Broad Policy Recommendations | January 28, 2021

October Newsletter | October 28, 2020

Policies that help immigrant survivors seek safety and stability under threat | August 27, 2020

The administration continually narrows path to safety and protection for survivors | March 5, 2020

As administration announces public charge start date, advocates host webinar to discuss impact on immigrant survivors | February 6, 2020

Supreme Court decision allows for harmful public charge rule implementation while legal challenges continue | January 29, 2020

New AIS Resources | June 14, 2019

How do recent changes in asylum policy impact survivors? | February 20, 2019

WEBINARS

Webinar: U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 | March 11, 2021

Webinar: New Immigration Policy Updates & Their Impact On Survivors Of DVSA | February 4, 2020

Webinar: Policy Update- The Latest on Asylum for Survivors of Violence | January 24, 2019

Webinar: Policy Advocacy: Defending and Strengthening Protections for Immigrant Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault | October 29, 2019

Webinar: New USCIS Policy & Its Impact on Immigrant Survivors | November 27, 2018

Webinar: What’s Next for VAWA Reauthorization and the Immigration Provisions in VAWA? | November 26, 2018

 

NATIONAL TASK FORCE TO END SEXUAL AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ("NTF")

4vawa.org

Action Alert: Tell Congress to Address Survivors' Needs in Next COVID-19 Stimulus Package | April 20, 2020

Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence are at Heightened Risk Now, and Will Remain So Long After the Current Crisis | April 16, 2020

Letter to Congress RE: Urgent Needs of DV/SA Survivors During Coronavirus Disease | March 23, 2020

NTF Statement on S. 2920, Senator Ernst’s VAWA Reauthorization Bill | November 22, 2019

National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Statement on Bipartisan Senate VAWA Reauthorization Conversations | November 11, 2019

Update on VAWA’s Progress in Senate | November 11, 2019

NTF Letter to U.S. Senate RE: VAWA Reauthorization | October 4, 2019

Statement: National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence calls for unified efforts to end racism, abuse, and oppression and calls for legislation to curb gun violence | August 6, 2019

Ms. Magazine, Why Activists Fighting to End Sexual and Domestic Violence are Calling for Gun Control | August 6, 2019

Statement of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence on DACA, TPS, and DED

NTF VAWA FAQ

What Happens if VAWA Expires Information Sheet

Public Charge regulation harms immigrant families and puts victims of sexual assault and domestic violence at risk

Letter to Congress RE: The President’s Executive Order on Family Separation Fails Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Survivors

Statement of the National Taskforce to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Denouncing the Attorney General’s Decision in Matter of A-B.

PUBLIC CHARGE

Esperanza United
Fact sheet: Final rule on public charge | February 2023

Esperanza United
Hoja de datos: La decisión final acerca de lo que es carga pública | Enero 2023

Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign
PUBLIC CHARGE | 2023

Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence | October 2022
How Do Recent ‘Public Charge’ Policy Changes Impact Immigrant Survivors Of Crime?

Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign

Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign
Public Charge Update: What Advocates Need to Know Now | September 22, 2020

Urban Institute
Amid Confusion over the Public Charge Rule, Immigrant Families Continued Avoiding Public Benefits in 2019 | May 2020

Urban Institute
One in Six Adults in California Immigrant Families Reported Avoiding Public Benefits in 2019 | May 2020

Protecting Immigrant Families
Changes to public charge: Analysis and frequently asked questions | March 2020

Protecting Immigrant Families
Public Charge: Does this apply to me? | February 2020

Protecting Immigrant Families
Know Your Rights! Public Charge Messages for Community Members | January 2020

Casa de Maryland, Inc., et al. v. Trump | January 2020

Amicus Brief in State of Washington, et al. v. Department of Homeland Security, et al. | September 2019

Washington v. DHS - Public Charge Amicus Brief | September 9, 2019

Washington v. DHS - Public Charge Amicus Brief Motion for Leave | September 9, 2019

Washington v. DHS - Public Charge Amicus Brief Appendix A | September 9, 2019

Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign
Who Does “the Public Charge Test” Apply to? A Resource for Advocates and Service Providers | September 2019

Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence | August 2019
Revised Advisory: How Will ‘Public Charge’ Proposed Policy Changes Impact Immigrant Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault?

Tahirih Justice Center | August 12, 2019
Tahirih Statement on Public Charge Rule

Urban Institute | May 22, 2019
One in Seven Adults in Immigrant Families Reported Avoiding Public Benefit Programs in 2018

ASISTA Immigration Assistance
Comments in Response to Proposed Rulemaking: Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds

The Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST)
Comments in Response to Proposed Rulemaking: Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds

Tahirih Justice Center
Comments on Rule Expanding Definition of “Public Charge”

Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (API-GBV)
How Will ‘Public Charge’ Proposed Policy Changes Impact Immigrant Survivors of Crime?

Congressional Research Service
Immigration: Frequently Asked Questions about “Public Charge”

Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
An Overview of Public Charge

Tahirih Justice Center
The Administration’s New Rule Expanding the Definition of “Public Charge” Will Punish Survivors of Gender-Based Violence

IMPORTANCE OF VAWA PROVISIONS & SURVIVOR-RELATED PROTECTIONS

Her Justice: Stories from Immigrant Survivors of Gender-Based Violence: The Impact of Work Authorization | November 2023

AIS Comment with 56 organizations: DHS NPRM on USCIS Fee Rule | March 2023

“No-Blanks” Policy

Human Rights Initiative & SMU Judge Elmo B. Hunter Legal Center
Flawed Design: How the U Visa is Revictimizing the People It Was Created to Help | October 5, 2020

Immigrant Legal Resource Center | April 21, 2020
A Guide to State Laws on U Visa and T Visa Certifications

ASISTA Immigration Assistance
ASISTA Press Release: ASISTA Files Lawsuit Challenging Harmful ICE Policies Which Put Victims of Crime at Higher Risk of Removal | February 30, 2020

The Immigrant Witness and Victim Protection Act of 2019 (H.R. 4319) One-Pager, Human Rights Initiative of Northern Texas | November 11, 2019

Annotated Factsheet: The Immigrant Witness and Victim Protection Act of 2019 (H.R. 4319) | October 7, 2019

Factsheet: The Immigrant Witness and Victim Protection Act of 2019 H.R. 4319 (PDF) | October 7, 2019

Elly Yu, Under Policy Change, ICE Deports Northern Virginia Mother While She Waits For Visa Decision, DCist | September 12, 2019

Statement on USCIS Policy Changes and Processing Delays | July 16, 2019 Statement to the Hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship

Statement from 76 National, State, and Local DV/SA programs on USCIS Policy Changes and Processing Delays | July 16, 2019

May 2019 Findings: Immigrant Survivors Fear Reporting Violence

2017 Advocate and Legal Service Survey Regarding Immigrant Survivors

Letter to USCIS Director Cissna: Fee Waiver Denials for Protections Related to Immigrant Survivors

American Immigration Council
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Provides Protections for Immigrant Women and Victims of Crime

Appleseed Network, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (API-GBV) & ASISTA Immigration Help
Protecting Assets & Child Custody in the Face of Deportation: Chapter 5 - Considerations for Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (API-GBV)
Immigration Law Basics for Domestic Violence Victim Advocates

Battered Women’s Justice Project (BWJP)
Assisting Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence: Advocate’s Guide

Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network
VAWA

Department of Homeland Security
Protections for Immigrant Victims Infographic

Futures Without Violence (Futures)
Violence Against Women Act

Human Rights Watch (HRW)
Immigrant Crime Fighters: How the U Visa Program Makes US Communities Safer

Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
U Visa/T Visa/VAWA

Legal Momentum
A U-Visa Factsheet for Advocates

National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH)
What is the Violence Against Women Act?

National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC)
Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization

National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV)
Violence Against Women Act

Tahirih Justice Center
Tahirih Comments on Proposed Revisions to Fee Waiver Request Form

Tahirih Justice Center
Complaint re: Violations of due process by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

Tahirih Justice Center
An Open Letter to NBC4 Washington; Importance of VAWA

Tahirih Justice Center
Letter to Inspector General re: DHS Victim Information Notification Exchange (“DHS VINE”)

 

CONFIDENTIALITY

Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (API-GBV)
Comments on Proposed USCIS Fraud Tip Form

Tahirih Justice Center
Comments on Proposed USCIS Fraud Tip Form

UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES (USCIS) POLICY GUIDANCE

 

PUBLIC SAFETY & SAFE ("SANCTUARY") COMMUNITIES

AIS statements to a July 2023 House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing around the consequences of non-citizens who’ve engaged in criminal activity on US communities:

America’s Voice
Immigration 101: What is a Sanctuary City?

American Immigration Council
Understanding Trust Acts, Community Policing, and “Sanctuary Cities”

Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network & No More
NO MÁS Study

Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
FAQ on 8 USCIS § 1373 and Federal Funding Threats to “Sanctuary Cities”

National Immigration Law Center (NILC)
Sanctuary City Toolkit

Police Executive Research Forum
Strengthening Relations between Police and Immigrant Communities in a Complex Political Environment

Tahirih Justice Center
White Paper: Promoting Public Safety by Ensuring Access to Police Protection for Immigrant Women and Girls

Tahirih Justice Center
Statement of Principles: Promoting Public Safety by Ensuring Access to Police Protection for Immigrant Women and Girls

ASYLUM AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

AIS Sign-on Letter with 96 Organizations: Advocates Warn of Devastating Impact of Asylum Ban on Immigrant Survivors of Gender-Based Violence, Urge Biden Administration to Reverse Course | March 2023

Tahirih Justice Center, Comment on Proposed Asylum Rule | March 2023

Tahirih Justice Center, Biden’s Asylum Ban Will Continue to Place Survivors in Harm’s Way | February 2023

Tahirih Justice Center, Tahirih Explains: “Asylum Ban” Rule – It is Both a Transit Ban and an Entry Ban | February 2023

Federal Register, Circumvention of Lawful Pathways- A Proposed Rule by the Homeland Security Department and the Executive Office for Immigration Review | February 23, 2023

Welcome With Dignity, Compilation of More Than 50 Organizational Statements Opposing the Proposed Asylum Ban Rule | February 2023

ImmigrantWomenToo.org

Tahirih Justice Center Explains Gender-Based Violence
Tahirih Explains: Gender-Based Violence | June 2020

Procedures for Asylum and Withholding of Removal; Credible Fear and Reasonable Fear Proposed Rule | June 15, 2020

Center for Gender and Refugee Studies

Center for Gender and Refugee Studies
De Peña-Paniagua contra Barr: una victoria para el asilo de género y para las sobrevivientes | May 1, 2020

Letter from 180+ organizations to halt border expulsions

Tahirih Justice Center
Tahirih Comments on Interim Final Rule: Asylum | August 15, 2019

Updated Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Guidance Requiring Fair Process for Domestic Violence, Gang Asylum Claims at the Border

Migrant Protection Protocols (“Remain in Mexico” Policy)

Asylum Ban

Court Decision in Grace, et al. v. Whitaker upholding the right of survivors of domestic violence and gang violence to seek asylum

ACLU Statement on Court Decision in Grace, et al. v. Whitaker

Tahirih Justice Center
STATEMENT ON ASYLUM RESTRICTIONS BARRING ANYONE WHO ENTERS THE U.S. FROM SEEKING ASYLUM EXCEPT AT A PORT OF ENTRY

Women’s Refugee Commission
Findings on Voters’ Attitudes toward Refugees and Asylum Policies

Women’s Refugee Commission
New Poll Shows Voters Support Access to Asylum for Refugees

Letter to Attorney General Sessions: Organizations Seek Revocation of AG Decision in Matter of A-B-

Center for Gender and Refugee Studies
Backgrounder and Briefing on Matter of A-B-

Center for Gender and Refugee Studies & Futures Without Violence
Toolkit: Take Action! Protect Asylum for Survivors of Domestic Violence

Tahirih Justice Center
Brief Analysis of Attorney General’s Decision in Matter of A-B-

Tahirih Justice Center
Talking Points on the Attorney General’s Decision in Matter of A-B-

Tahirih Justice Center
Letter to Senate Judiciary Committee re: Decision by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in Matter of A-B-

Tahirih Justice Center
Brief Analysis of: USCIS Policy Guidance for Adjudicating Asylum Claims in Accordance with Matter of A-B-

Tahirih Justice Center
Statement in Opposition to H.R. 391 “The Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2017”


IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
How the Trump Administration Has Harmed Immigrant Families and Children | July 28, 2020

Immigrant Legal Resource Center & ASISTA
In Harm’s Way: The Impact of President Trump’s Actions on Immigrant Survivors of Gender-based Violence | June 2020

Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes & Esther Arenas-Arroyo, IZA Institute of Labor Economics
Police Trust and Domestic Violence: Evidence from Immigration Policies | October 2019

Ceres Policy Research
The Chilling Effect of ICE Courthouse Arrests: How Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Raids Deter Immigrants from Attending Child Welfare, Domestic Violence, Adult Criminal, and Youth Court Hearings | October 2019

University of Washington, the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, Center for Human Rights
Justice Compromised: Immigration Arrests at Washington State Courthouses | October 2019

Philip E. Wolgin, Center for American Progress
3 Reasons Why the New Flores Rule Does Not Pass Legal Muster | August 2019

The ICE Out of Our Courts Coalition
Safeguarding the Integrity of Our Courts: The Impact of ICE Courthouse Operations in New York State | April 2019

National Immigration Law Center (NILC)
Filing Immigration Enforcement Civil Rights Complaints for Violations of the “Sensitive Locations” Policy At or Near Your School (January 2019)

2017 Advocate and Legal Services Survey

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Freezing Out Justice: How immigration arrests at courthouses are undermining the justice system

American Immigration Council
The 287(g) Program: An Overview

American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
AILA Report: Cogs in the Deportation Machine

Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence
FAQs: Immigration Enforcement and Victim Services Programs

Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence
Advisory: Are Victim Services Programs Liable for Criminal “Harboring” When They Work With Immigrant Survivors of Crime?

Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence
Effects of Increased Entanglement on Immigrant Survivors

ASISTA Immigration Help & Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network
What Can Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Organizations Do to Help Immigrant Survivors Affected by “Secure Communities” and Related Immigration Enforcement Programs?

Center for American Progress
How 287(g) Agreements Harm Public Safety

Immigrant Defense Project (IDP)
ICE in NYS Courts Legal Service and Advocates Survey

Immigrant Defense Project (IDP)
The Courthouse Trap: How ICE Operations Impacted New York’s Courts in 2018 | January 2019

National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC)
Policy Brief | The Real Alternatives to Detention

Tahirih Justice Center
Statement Opposing the “No Sanctuary for Criminals Act” (H.R. 3003) and “Kate’s Law” (H.R. 3004)

Tahirih Justice Center
Brief Analysis of DHS & HHS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Apprehension, Processing, Care, and Custody of Alien Minors and Unaccompanied Alien Children

Tahirih Justice Center
Righting the Wrong: Why Detention of Asylum-Seeking Mothers and Children in American Must End Now

Tahirih Justice Center
Statement to House Appropriations Committee Opposing Increased Appropriations for Immigration Detention

Tahirih Justice Center
Statement on “The Protection of Children Act of 2017” (H.R. 495)

Women’s Refugee Commission
The Flores Settlement & Family Separation at the Border

 

ADMINISTRATIVE POLICIES, EXECUTIVE ORDERS, AND RULES

Fee Rule

Migration Policy Institute
Dismantling and Reconstructing the U.S. Immigration System: A Catalog of Changes Under the Trump Presidency | July 2020

Asylum Eligibility Bar Proposed Rule | December 19, 2019

Asylum Cooperative Agreements (“Safe Third Country”) Interim Final Rule | November 19, 2019

“U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Fee Schedule and Changes to Certain Other Immigration Benefits Request Requirements” Proposed Rule | November 14, 2019

“Asylum Application, Interview, and Employment Authorization for Applicants” Interim Final Rule | November 14, 2019

Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign
The Invisible Wall: Policies that Threaten Immigrant Families | September 20, 2019

HUD Mixed-Status Families Rules

ACCESS TO SERVICES AND NEEDS OF SURVIVORS