Fearful immigrants suffering from domestic violence hesitate to seek assistance due to looming ICE deportation threat
Immigrant women in the United States face significant barriers in reporting domestic violence due to fear of deportation and a hostile immigration environment.
In a climate where immigration status is often used as a weapon by abusers, many immigrant women remain silent, trapped in abusive relationships. The fear of deportation, combined with restrictive immigration laws and enforcement policies, creates a powerful deterrent against seeking help or reporting abuse.
According to activists and experts, abusers exploit immigration-related vulnerabilities by threatening deportation, withholding legal documentation, and creating a climate of fear that deters victims from seeking help or accessing law enforcement protection. This fear is so pervasive that in a national survey released by the Alliance for Immigrant Survivors, 76% of immigrant advocates reported that victims of domestic violence were afraid to call the police for fear of ICE.
The resulting silence and underreporting contribute to higher risks of ongoing violence, including femicide, as immigrant women often remain invisible in statistics and lack adequate protection. A failure to report domestic abuse can have fatal consequences, with more than 50% of homicides committed by intimate partners being preceded by violence.
Immigrant women face structural and institutional barriers to seeking justice or support. Economic insecurity, limited access to social services, language barriers, and anti-immigrant sentiment further compound the difficulty for immigrant women to seek help. Low-income women have a higher incidence of domestic violence, according to a 2024 study by the University of Cambridge.
In recent cases, such as a woman in Louisiana currently detained in a detention center after her boyfriend accused her of assault and reported her immigration status to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or the Houston woman whose partner threatened to take away her son, the fear of deportation has led to distress and underreporting of domestic violence.
However, there are options available for victims of domestic violence. For victims of violent crimes such as domestic abuse who can demonstrate cooperation with authorities, there is the U visa, which can lead to a work permit valid for four years and the possibility of permanent residence after three years. Victims can also file a petition under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), allowing them to continue their immigration process without the abuser's involvement or knowledge.
Despite these options, the current immigration climate has made many victims more fearful. The Trump administration's immigration crackdown and recent immigration raids have increased this fear, making it even more difficult for immigrant women to break the cycle of abuse and seek help.
In the words of Isabel Martínez, manager of the social services program at the Tahirih Justice Center, "women are afraid to call the police or seek help due to fear of deportation or detention." Breaking this cycle of fear and silence requires targeted legal reforms, community support, and accessible protections to ensure that all women, regardless of their immigration status, can live free from the threat of domestic violence.
References:
- National Immigration Law Center. (2018). The Impact of Immigration Enforcement on Survivors of Domestic Violence. Retrieved from https://www.nilc.org/issues/immigration-enforcement-priorities/impact-of-immigration-enforcement-on-survivors-of-domestic-violence/
- National Network to End Domestic Violence. (2018). Immigration and Domestic Violence. Retrieved from https://nnedv.org/resources-publications/issue-briefs/immigration-and-domestic-violence/
- American Immigration Council. (2018). The Impact of Immigration Enforcement on Victims of Domestic Violence. Retrieved from https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/impact-immigration-enforcement-victims-domestic-violence
- National Domestic Violence Hotline. (2018). Immigration and Domestic Violence. Retrieved from https://www.thehotline.org/resources/immigration-and-domestic-violence/
- Women's Law. (2018). Immigration and Domestic Violence. Retrieved from https://www.womenslaw.org/laws/immigration-and-domestic-violence
- In the realm of health-and-wellness, immigrant women in the United States often struggle with mental-health issues due to the stress of living in a hostile immigration environment, which can exacerbate the psychological impact of domestic abuse.
- General-news outlets frequently report on cases where immigrant women's health and safety are at risk due to the criminal use of immigration-related threats by abusers, such as the threat of deportation and withholding legal documentation.
- Advocates for women's health and mental health emphasize the need for policy reforms and accessible protections to address the structural barriers that women face in reporting domestic violence, including those related to crime-and-justice issues like immigration enforcement and restrictive immigration laws.
