AIS Statement: AIS Denounces Executive Orders that Dehumanize and Harm Immigrant Communities and Undermine Humanitarian Protections for Immigrant Survivors of Gender-based Violence
January 23, 2025 - The Alliance for Immigrant Survivors (AIS) advocates for a future where everyone, regardless of gender or immigration status, can live in safety and thrive. We defend and advocate for policies that ensure immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, and other gender-based violence have access to safety, autonomy, and life-saving protections.
This week, the incoming President issued numerous Executive Orders (EOs) and other administrative actions advancing an inhumane and xenophobic immigration agenda that is a broadside attack on those protections. AIS strongly opposes these measures that will shut down pathways to safety for refugees and asylum seekers fleeing persecution, undermine public safety, and interfere with immigrant survivors’ ability to seek safety and provide for themselves and their families.
The EOs,combined with the shutdown of the CBP One app, will make it practically impossible to seek asylum in the United States. Restricting asylum seekers and refugees puts them at further risk, endangering their lives, and ignores our long-standing commitment to offering protection to individuals fleeing persecution through U.S. and international law.
The EOs propose sweeping enforcement priorities, massive increases in detention, increased entanglement between immigration enforcement and local law enforcement, and the expansion of the scope of expedited removal. These actions create an enormous chilling effect for survivors and put them at risk of family separation and deportation before they have the opportunity to seek immigration benefits for which they may be eligible.
We are deeply concerned that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has rescinded guidance on avoiding enforcement actions at locations like schools, places of worship, courthouses, and hospitals. Conducting enforcement actions cannot come at the cost of limiting individuals’ access to justice, necessary medical care, the education of children, or the practice of faith. Enforcement actions at courthouses, places where victims seek help and justice, will significantly undermine public safety for all by discouraging others from seeking protection and participating in criminal processes to hold perpetrators accountable.
The following are statements by leadership at AIS Co-Chair organizations:
“Rapid, dramatic deterrence-based policy changes can cause confusion and fear for all immigrants and their advocates. The impact of this climate of fear and chaos can leave immigrant survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault particularly isolated and afraid to reach out for help,” said Casey Carter Swegman, Director of Public Policy at the Tahirih Justice Center. “Across our communities, women and girls will suffer in silence as a result and that makes us all less safe. If policymakers are serious about addressing violence against women, they should focus on real solutions created in partnership with those most impacted and their advocates. As ever, we stand ready to protect and defend the rights of immigrant survivors of violence and to work with all policymakers invested in the safety of our communities.”
“Immigrant survivors of gender-based violence and their children will undeniably be gravely harmed by these racist, xenophobic, misogynistic actions,” said Kirsten Rambo, Executive Director of ASISTA. “Far from their purported law-and-order intent, these policies instead embolden those who commit domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. At the same time, these actions place painful obstacles in the path of traumatized people seeking peace and safety for themselves and their children.”
“At API-GBV, we know that survivors of gender-based violence deserve safety and support, regardless of their immigration status,” said Monica Khant, CEO of the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence (API-GBV). “These hasty and punitive executive orders undermine the safety, dignity, and well-being of immigrant survivors by creating additional and unwarranted barriers to accessing justice, protection, and life-saving, critical services. Policies that fail to protect survivors don’t only endanger individuals—they harm entire communities. API-GBV will continue to advocate on behalf of immigrant survivors of gender based violence, especially those from the AANHPI & MENA communities, ensuring that their voices are heard and their needs are met.”
“The Executive Orders and other administrative actions issued by this administration will only further marginalize immigrant survivors of gender-based violence, despite claims that they are necessary for public safety,” said Vivian Huelgo, JD, President and CEO of Esperanza United. “These policies will deter Latin@ and immigrant survivors from seeking critical assistance—whether at hospitals or from law enforcement—out of fear of deportation. They strip away essential protections and sow fear within vulnerable communities. Esperanza United strongly denounces these actions and remains steadfast in our commitment to standing in solidarity with all immigrants who will be adversely affected by these harmful policies.”
Media Contact: Charlie McAteer, AIS Communications, 917-696-1321, charlie@frontflipchange.com
AIS is committed to being a trusted resource for immigrant survivors and those who serve them. We will continue providing additional resources and analysis unpacking the impact of these and other immigration-related Executive Orders and related administrative actions on our website, through our email list, and via webinars and briefings.