Immigration abuse happens when someone uses your legal status as a weapon to control you. They manipulate your fears of deportation, separation from your children, or being reported to the authorities to dictate your every move.
If you're an immigrant, your abuser has a powerful weapon. Your legal status.
Immigration abuse is the use of your immigration status to control you. Threatening to call immigration. Threatening to have you deported. Threatening to take away your children. Using your fear of being sent back to control your every move.
Threatening Deportation
She threatens to call immigration. To report you. To have you deported. She uses your legal status as leverage. "If you leave me, I'll make sure you're sent back."
Withholding Documents
She hides your passport. Your green card. Your immigration papers. She controls your ability to prove your legal status.
Misrepresenting Your Status
She tells you your status is something it's not. Tells you you're illegal when you're not. Tells you you'll be deported if you leave her. Lies about your options.
Controlling the Process
She controls your immigration case. Fills out paperwork incorrectly. Misses deadlines. Sabotages your case. Makes sure you stay dependent on her.
Using the Children
She threatens to take the children. Tells you you'll never see them again if you're deported. Uses your children as leverage to control you.
VAWA stands for the Violence Against Women Act. Despite the name, its immigration protections are not limited to women.
Some abused spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents may be able to self-petition under VAWA without the abuser's knowledge or permission. Eligibility depends on the qualifying relationship and other requirements, so being an immigrant experiencing abuse does not automatically mean you qualify.
If immigration status is being used against you, get advice from a qualified immigration attorney or accredited representative who understands VAWA and abuse involving men. Your abuser should not be the person deciding what immigration options you have.
For a Brotherhood-focused overview, read VAWA for Men.
Learn what your actual options are. Immigration status can be complicated, and an abuser may use that uncertainty against you. Get information from a qualified immigration attorney or accredited representative instead of relying on threats or claims made by the person controlling you.
Document the pattern safely. Keep track of threats, withheld documents, sabotage, or times your immigration status is used to control you. Brotherhood's FREE Abuse Log can help you record what happened and where supporting evidence is stored. A record can help you see and explain a pattern, but it does not by itself prove a legal case.
Protect important documents. If it is safe to do so, keep access to your passport, immigration notices, identification, and other important records. Think about where copies can be stored without increasing your risk.
Get qualified immigration help. Look for someone who understands VAWA and abuse involving men. Immigration remedies have eligibility requirements, deadlines, and facts that vary by case.
Make a safety plan. If immigration threats are part of the abuse, plan around the possibility that those threats may escalate. Know who you can contact and what documents or information you may need.
Treat threats as threats, not legal advice. An abuser may exaggerate how much control she has over your immigration situation. Do not assume her version of immigration law is accurate. Get independent advice before making decisions based on fear.
Your immigration status can make abuse harder to navigate. It does not give someone the right to use that status to control you.
If you want a practical guide to keeping records without making yourself less safe, read How do I document abuse without getting caught?
