President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda has created a climate of terror and isolation for immigrant victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, and the threat of detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement has left many survivors too scared to seek critical help from law enforcement and the legal system.
Alliance for Immigrant Survivors, a national network that advocates for immigrant survivors of gender-based violence, surveyed over 170 victim service providers, including social workers and immigration attorneys across the country. Providers worked with immigrant survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault and human trafficking, though many of the anecdotes experts shared with HuffPost centered on domestic violence.
The survey found 76% of providers reported that immigrant survivors currently have concerns about contacting the police to report domestic violence and sexual assault. Half of them said that victims who had concerns about contacting law enforcement or going to court chose not to because they were scared of the potential consequences contact with police could have on their immigration status. Nearly 80% of all service providers said they have seen an increase in immigration-related questions since Trump took office.
