Public policy

We asked a number of shelters and organizations that work with survivors of domestic and sexual violence to answer a survey. Among the questions, we asked whether service providers had encountered immigrant survivors who had been apprehended by the police and charged with a crime related to the abuse those victims […]

As the immigration debate wages on in the United States, researchers, advocates, community organizers, policy makers, and community members alike have taken note of the direct impact that increased immigration enforcement policies have had on the Latin@ community. This is especially evident in the area of domestic violence (DV), where for […]

Since 2011, the United States has seen a dramatic increase in the arrival of Latina immigrant women and their children, primarily from countries in the northern triangle of Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras). During the last two years, the U.S. government apprehended more than 150,000 immigrant family units, primarily […]

For more than a century, innumerable studies have confirmed two simple yet powerful truths about the relationship between immigration and crime: immigrants are less likely to commit serious crimes or be behind bars than the native-born, and high rates of immigration are associated with lower rates of violent crime and property […]

In this document, Enhancing Access to Safety for Immigrant Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, there is information on how to access to services, immigration-related resources for survivors, individual safety planning, public charge resources, language access, materials for agencies, DHS and ICE resources and memos, and COVID Informational Resources.

This bench card is designed to provide quick access for state criminal, family, and juvenile court judges to help them identify the various types of status that immigrants in state court might have. It is aimed at assisting judges in recognizing non-citizen parties before them who might need the advice of […]

Accessing resources: Federal benefits Federal laws governing benefit programs require federal agencies that administer the benefits to:  (1) develop guidance and eligibility requirements for “federal means-tested public benefits” and (2) identify which of their programs belong in that category. Although there is no statutory definition of “federal means-tested public benefits,” the […]

In early 2014, Esperanza United (formerly Casa de Esperanza) conducted a national assessment of the language accessibility of court systems to survivors of sexual and domestic violence (S/DV), who have limited English proficiency (LEP).  

This tool (Spanish only) from Campus Technical Assistance and Resource Project is a check list of Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) amendments to the Clery Act, issued in October 2014. The Clery Act was amended to include the additional rights of victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, violence in dating relationships […]

At Esperanza United (formerly Casa de Esperanza), we work to mobilize the Latin@ community to build healthy futures. Through our new series, ¡Presente! Empowering Latin@ Communities through Civic Engagement, we’ll highlight simple ways that anyone can take action, make change, and create a future you wish to see. In this episode, […]