The UFW Foundation Condemns Changes to Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
05/16/2012
The UFW Foundation Condemns Changes to Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
Los Angeles, CA – May 16, 2012 – The UFW Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization, strongly condemns the attempts by many in the House of Representatives to strip confidentiality from immigrant victims of domestic violence and human trafficking in the U Visa adjudication process. The foundation’s Executive Director, Diana Tellefson-Torres said, “The UFW Foundation is extremely concerned about the House of Representatives’ vote in favor of proposed changes to VAWA. These changes will have disastrous effects, including that abusers will be notified that the family members they beat, raped, and/or threatened are applying for a confidential immigration remedy, and then asked for their input. This is like a battered women's shelter calling an abuser to let him know his wife and children have checked in and asking him if he thought they should be able to stay there.”
H.R. 4970 allows immigration officers to obtain testimony from abusers in reported cases of domestic violence if their victim is an immigrant. The UFW Foundation regards the politicizing of protections for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking as extremely dangerous, and believes H.R. 4970 will result in a significant increase in injuries and deaths among immigrant victims of domestic violence.
Any attempt to provide abusers with additional tools with which to coerce, threaten, or manipulate their victims should be rejected by the community. Furthermore, the UFW Foundation views the proposed bill as part of a larger and continued effort to generate mistrust between immigrants and law enforcement.
The bill also dramatically undermines the U Visa, which grants immigration relief to victims of violent crime (including domestic violence, rape, incest, sexual assault, kidnapping, and family members of murder victims) who cooperate with law enforcement. It will prevent such victims from applying for permanent status, which allows them to remain in the U.S. to continue assisting law enforcement officers with the investigation or prosecution of the crimes. The UFW Foundation has now successfully assisted approximately 20 individuals apply for temporary non-immigrant U status, and they were planning to apply for permanent status, in order to work, go to school, invest in their communities, and in general, move forward with their lives after what they suffered.
