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Law leads to domestic violence survivor’s deportation, sets risky precedent for others
Last year, 38-year-old Assia Serrano — one of the first imprisoned domestic violence survivors to receive a reduced sentence under the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act of 2019 — was released and then deported.
She spent 17 years in prison, and on the day of her release, was transferred directly into the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement; for her, this was out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Reporter Sara Herschander has been talking to Serrano for the past six months now.
“Definitely the saddest thing I’ve ever written, unfortunately,” she tells me.
It’s important to “reflect on what the [domestic violence] law was originally intended for, versus the way survivors are doubly criminalized,” Herschander says, and on “what New York State’s collaborating with ICE means for these survivors, largely women.”
Serrano’s spotless record made her an ideal candidate for a sentence reduction. But other domestic violence survivors in prison and eligible for release see the success of her case as a cautionary tale.
Serrano is now in Panama and far away from her U.S.-born children, who are in the custody of an ex-partner who won’t allow the children to apply for a passport to visit her.
Read the full report exclusively on Documented.
Immigrants’ guide to accessing free food in New York: Closures of pantries have made it hard to access food banks. To ensure immigrants can find one near them, Documented updated its guide. — Read in English and Spanish
National
Lawsuit alleges forced labor in ICE detention: The suit alleges current and former immigrants in ICE detention in Illinois were forced to work without compensation. — Read here
Court revives lawsuit by six Mexican veterinarians alleging forced work: An appeals court found a federal judge should not have tossed the case in which the veterinarians alleged they were forced to milk cows and threatened with deportation. — Reuters
UPS to pay penalty, be monitored for immigration-related discrimination: The Justice Department ruled UPS discriminated against a non-U.S. citizen by requesting additional documents to prove he was allowed to work. — Reuters
What EB-5’s revitalization means for developers and entrepreneurs: A new law has reinstated the EB-5 program that expedites visa processing for foreign investors. — Reuters
Border authorities separating Ukrainian children from caregivers: Dozens of Ukrainian children have been separated from relatives or friends they traveled with under a law designed to prevent migrant kids from being trafficked. — New York Times
Washington D.C.
Biden admin. considers delaying Title 42 termination: The White House is searching for ways to buy time as both Democrats and Republicans question whether there is an alternative plan to reduce migration. — Axios
DHS secretary angered at FBI allegations that 2 men duped Secret Service agents: Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas reportedly felt the charges against the two men put unfair scrutiny on the Secret Service. — CNN
CBP agents arrested 1 million+ at the border since October: Customs and Border Protection data shows March was the busiest month of arrests and crossings at the southern border in two decades. — Wall Street Journal
