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Y. and her two children from Guatemala are seeking asylum in the U.S.. Y. has suffered domestic abuse for decades and by multiple actors.  Y. and her children speak Spanish and live in Northeast Indiana.  They are scheduled for a merits hearing on March 12, 2020. As part of an effort to address court backlogs, their merits hearing will be before remote judges based in “adjudication centers” in Texas and Virginia who will preside over the hearing via video-teleconference.  NIJC has grave concerns about the due process violations that may occur during these hearings and knows access to counsel will be critical to ensure these asylum-seeking families aren’t prejudiced by this new policy.  

J. met his now abusive, U.S. citizen husband, A., in 2010 at their mutual workplace.  Since the beginning of their relationship, J. has been subject to physical, economic, and psychological abuse by A. They filed a Family Petition for J. in Sept. 2017 but later A. refused to file the Adjustment of Status Application (green card) as he feared that J. would leave him.  In July of 2019, J. realized that A was controlling him and that the marriage was not going to improve. J. left and has been receiving help from an agency in Chicago. His pro bono attorneys must file his VAWA self-petition application along with supporting documentation to USCIS in a timely manner. 

VAWA is a form of protection for survivors of domestic violence.
 

I. grew up practicing Sunni Islam, the dominant religion of Pakistan, but converted to Shia Islam a few years ago. After converting, I. started receiving threats and was brutally attacked. After a particularly brutal attack that sent I. to the hospital, the police refused to help him saying that I. should just stop being Shia. I. fled Pakistan and entered the United States on July 24, 2019. He was apprehended and detained soon after entry. I. is currently a plaintiff in a class action lawsuit against the “Asylum Ban 2.0.”  I. is currently detained in Southern California and will seek asylum as a defense to deportation.