Domestic Abuse Survivors Fear Deportation Under Former President Trump’s Policy

Since the beginning of Joe Biden’s presidency, he has kept his word and worked tirelessly to rescind unfavorable immigration policies. However, one group is still awaiting immediate change: domestic abuse survivors from other countries who were granted asylum in the U.S.

More than 100 days into his presidency, and everyone is still wondering why it has yet to happen, as it was an integral part of his immigration agenda. Immigration advocates raise several red flags as to how abuse survivors are facing deportation or have been deported back to their home countries. Whether it has been months or years since they fled hardships and immediate dangers, the risk of facing further abuse remains. This time, with no assistance from the U.S., or limited access to local authorities.

Blaine Bookey, a lawyer at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies at the University of California, explains how this is impacting families across the U.S. “Women, children, families are being sent back to the very dangers that they fled,” she said to an NPR reporter.

Like many lawyers for immigration and deportation defense, Bookey is calling on Biden to act immediately and overturn many of the Trump administration’s legal rulings that limited eligibility for asylum protection. Although Biden signed an executive order proposing the asylum rules get amended, it will take months if not years.

Women and Children Need Help
Thousands of families have already been sent back this year, many of them women and children. Merrick Garland, Biden’s attorney general, has been called upon to help protect women and families turning to the U.S. for protection.

When he was asked about Trump-era asylum rules, Garland shared his own family’s experience during his confirmation hearing. They immigrated to the U.S. a century ago from eastern Europe. According to NPR, Garland shared that he “…[comes] from a family where my grandparents fled anti-Semitism and persecution…the country took us in and protected us.” Now it is time for him to ensure victims of violence have that right as well. 

Advocates of immigration, like Bookey, explain women are suffering persecution in countries where the police won’t interfere, especially with domestic abuse. Such advocates include women like Ms. A.B. Former Attorney General Sessions, who has used her platform to testify why this is such a prevalent issue.

She fled from El Salvador because she had no choice. In an interview with NPR, she said “We are fleeing the possibility of being assassinated…I was able to escape, but many have died, many people are no longer around to tell their story.”

The Problem Remains
Right now, many survivors living in the U.S. are in the process of appealing their case. With immigration agencies still following Trump-era legal rulings, there is not much that can be done. While the asylum rules get re-written, you should retain an immigration lawyer in Los Angeles, if you face deportation and depend on the U.S. for protection.