Abuse in Immigrant Communities

Here are some ways abusers may try to keep power and control over immigrant victims, including ways that undocumented victims may be specifically targeted:

• stopping the victim from learning English;
• refusing to let the victim speak with friends or family from his/her home country;
• threatening to report or actually reporting an undocumented victim to Immigration officials or to the police;
• withdrawing or threatening to withdraw applications for lawful permanent residence (“green card”);
• falsely filing criminal charges with the police against a victim who has lawful residence (a “green card”) in an attempt to get him/her deported for a criminal conviction or plea;
• destroying the victim’s important documents, like his/her passport, resident card, health insurance card, driver’s license, or proof of the relationship with the abuser, which may be necessary for getting legal immigration status;
• lying to the victim and telling him/her that s/he will be deported or lose his/her residency or citizenship or if s/he reports the abuse to the police;
• getting the victim fired from his/her job by telling an employer that the victim is undocumented;
• telling the survivor that reporting abuse to the police will get her or her children deported;
• telling the survivor that s/he can’t get custody of his/her children because she is undocumented;
• providing inaccurate information in English in conversations with police, judges, doctors, or others in positions of power when the survivor does not have an independent interpreter; and
• threatening to have the victim deported while the abuser remains in the United States with their children.