Monica Bejar came to the U.S. from Mexico illegally in 1989, and shortly thereafter married a permanent resident who turned violent and started drinking heavily during their first year of marriage. Over the years, her husband would offer to set her immigration papers straight, only to rip up the forms during bouts of rage.
Finally in 2004, Bejar began petitioning for lawful immigration status under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and was approved.
But in the future, women with Bejar's experience might not be able to seek the same relief under VAWA ... the Department of Homeland Security is currently reconsidering how VAWA applies to certain undocumented immigrants. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is pushing for a narrower reading of the act, which would have draconian consequences for some in one of the most vulnerable groups within the undocumented immigrant population: women abused by husbands who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
Right, because it's the abused undocumented women that are destroying the economy and harboring terrorism.
read the rest of the article here.
found via Jezebel
2 comments:
Wow, great post. I found you on Feministing, and I just want to thank you for bringing this to my attention. I feel so uneducated, but that's why I try to read so much.
Thank you! Don't feel uneducated, I'm new at this and I'm trying to read as much as I can too
p.s.
I'm adding your blog to my links. That quote at the top is amazing.
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