Rosie Hidalgo Content Topic Results

This webinar offers guidance for advocates on how to help immigrant survivors become aware of their rights; identify immigration remedies for victims, including special VAWA provisions around confidentiality; prepare enhanced safety plans for immigrant survivors; and increase meaningful access to services for immigrants and survivors with limited English proficiency.

Immigrant victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking often face additional challenges and barriers when seeking assistance and safety. This document discusses the importance of continuously enhancing outreach and access to services in order to provide a pathway to safety and well-being for immigrant survivors and their children.

This webinar offers guidance to advocates for implementing enhanced safety planning for immigrant survivors, including discussing recent policy developments and new enforcement measures that should be taken into consideration when assisting immigrant survivors with safety planning.

In analyzing the evolution of federal legislation in the United States, the author highlights how a human rights framework calls for a more comprehensive, multi-faceted approach to ending gender-based violence. It recognizes that domestic violence is not a private family matter and that the state has an obligation in efforts to prevent and respond to this violence in a manner that is holistic, effective and accessible to all.

According to the U.S. Census, over 25 million people over the age of five living in the United States speak a language other than English, and do not speak English very well. In order to carry out enhanced safety planning, ensure meaningful access to services, and provide critical information to assist survivors in making informed choices, it is imperative to ensure meaningful access to services for ALL survivors.

This issue of Synergy is dedicated to immigration and child protection and custody issues in the context of domestic violence. This article describes the obstacles that victims with limited English proficiency face in our judicial system and how to improve the situation for them and their families.

The Court Corner of Synergy on page 14 provides an overview of a case that looks at whether immigration judges are required to inform non-citizens of their potential eligibility for U-visas. Available in English and Spanish.

On August 15, 2012 the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began accepting applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). This is a new policy which permits individuals under the age of 31, who arrived to the U.S. before the age of 15 and currently have undocumented legal status, to apply for deferred action if they meet certain criteria. Although this remedy is not specific to survivors, it is important for domestic violence/sexual assault programs to be familiar with this remedy and make sure survivors are aware of this option.

This resource describes available public benefits included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, including SSI, unemployment, tax credits, COBRA continuation coverage, medical assistance, housing, food assistance, and education benefits.