Immigrants and Domestic Violence

from The Immigrant’s Journal - Vol. 148

Dating Tips for Over-50s

BY JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. And, immigrants are particularly vulnerable because many may not speak English, are often separated from family and friends, and may not understand the laws of the United States. For these reasons, immigrants are often afraid to report acts of domestic violence to the police or to seek other forms of assistance. Such fear causes many immigrants to remain in abusive relationships. Immigrants in the US. have the right to live a life free of abuse. Due to the victim’s immigration status, abusive partners have additional ways to exert power and control over their victims. If you are an immigrant or refugee in an abusive relationship, you may face unique issues that make it hard to reach out for help. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is a landmark piece of legislation seeking to improve criminal legal, and community-based responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the United States. This federal law provides numerous forms of protection for noncitizen women—and men—who are the victims of domestic violence or other qualifying crimes. There are three forms of protection: “U” visas for victims of crime, “T” visas for victims of severe forms of trafficking, and “self-petitions” under the VAWA. Any victim of domestic violence — regardless of immigration or citizenship status — can seek help. An immigrant victim of domestic violence may also be eligible for immigration-related protections. If you are experiencing domestic violence in your home, you are not alone. A specialized immigration attorney should always be your first point of contact regarding immigration questions and concerns. You can also listen to Ask the Lawyer Radio Program on WVIP 93.5FM on Thursdays, 10pm-11pm, and Sundays, 11pm to 12am. The program provides excellent information and also an opportunity for a FREE, no-obligation legal consultation. The number to call is 855-768- 8845. You can also visit www.askthelawyer.us Domestic violence is against the law regardless of one’s immigration status. Be a loving family member, good friend, and caring neighbor: please share this information.l Toxic Relationship Can Kill You continued from page 12 depression was highest when they felt entrapped, humiliated, and suffered a loss of what they regard important. All these events are characteristics of toxic relationships. •Undesirable weight gain People weighed down by negative relationships amassed more belly fat over the years than those in positive associations. A study by researchers from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA, followed 3,000 people in their 30s and 40s over 15 years. The researchers defined "negative" as situations in which family and friends criticized the subjects, belittled, let them down, or just got on their nerves.

Writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the researchers acknowledge that everyone gains weight as they grow older, people in toxic, stressful relations ended up with slightly larger waistlines overall, the fat that poses the greatest risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Final thoughts

So, a toxic relationship can kill you in several ways. First, a violent partner can kill you in a moment of rage. Then the health challenges posed by being in a toxic relationship could kill you in the long run. So, walk away from that toxic relationship and save your life. l

The Biden Administration Let Over 200,000 Green Cards Go to Waste This Year

BY WALTER EWING

The Biden administration failed to issue more than 200,000 permanent resident visas (or “green cards”) that were allotted in fiscal year 2021 for immigrants sponsored by U.S. employers or family members. Roughly 150,000 visas for familybased immigrants and as many as 80,000 visas for employment-based immigrants had gone unused by September 30, which was the last day of the 2021 fiscal year. This falls drastically short of the total number of green cards—675,000—that the government can issue each year. Out of this total, 480,000 visas are reserved for “family preference” immigrants; 140,000 for employment-based immigrants; and 55,000 for Diversity Visa lottery winners. This marks the second year in a row that over 100,000 family-preference visas have gone unused. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused U.S. embassies and consulates abroad to close, which temporarily halted immigrant visa processing. In addition, the Trump administration used the pandemic as a pretext to implement a ban on the issuing of many immigrant visas. As a result, 122,000 family-preference visas went unused and were added to the 2021 cap on employment-based visas, which raised the total to 262,000. Embassies and consulates have reopened since then, and the Biden administration lifted Trump’s immigrant visa ban. The increase in the number of employment-based visas actually presented a rare opportunity for the administration to make a sizeable dent in the massive backlog of cases. But the Biden administration was unable to speed up processing sufficiently to meet the 2021 cap on either familyor employment-based immigrant visas. Continued budget challenges and mismanagement at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services further hurt the administration’s chances of hitting the mark. The 150,000 unused family-preference visas have been added to the fiscal year 2022 cap on employment-based visas, bringing the total to 290,000. But the unused employment-based visas from fiscal year 2021 will remain lost without Congressional action. The federal government’s repeated failure to meet the annual caps on immigrant visas is worsening the backlog of green card applications. As of 2020, there were more than 9 million green card applicants stuck in the backlog—about 7.5 million on the family-based side and 1.6 million on the employment-based side. A major reason the backlogs are so large is the per-country cap on immigration. Under current immigration law, the number of immigrants from any one country cannot be greater than 7% of the total number of immigrants who come to the United States in a single year. This arbitrary cap doesn’t account for the strong social and economic relationships that the United States has with certain countries. For instance, the 7% cap does not come close to meeting the demand from U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents who want to bring family members from Mexico to the United States. The cap also doesn’t accommodate the demand among U.S. employers for skilled workers from India. As a result, family-based green card applicants from Mexico and employment-based green card applicants from India face wait times of many years before a permanent visa becomes available to them. As of October 2021, many family-based applicants from Mexico have been waiting for more than 20 years. Many employment-based applicants from India have been waiting between seven and 10 years. If the slow pace of green card processing continues, immigrants will likely see their wait times soar in the years ahead. Congress needs to act before more people lose available green cards and the backlogs worsen.l

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