Immigration crackdown makes women afraid to testify against abusers, experts warn
Source: NBC News
"You have a situation where undocumented victims are scared to come to court because they fear they are going to get deported."
by Hannah Rappleye, Stephanie Gosk, Brenda Breslauer and John Carlos Frey / Sep.22.2018 / 7:00 AM EDT
This story was produced in conjunction with The Marshall Project.
CHARLOTTE — One morning last January, Maria made a call that would change her life.
Maria, a 39-year-old mother from Colombia, spoke no English. She had no friends nearby, no money and had overstayed her visa after coming to the U.S. legally. But after her fiancé allegedly assaulted her and her 15-year-old son during an argument, she said a prayer and picked up the phone.
"I was terrified to call the police," said Maria, whose last name is being withheld because she is a victim of domestic violence. "But I dug up the courage. I told myself I had to do something."
That call would prove fateful. Maria's fiancé, a U.S. citizen named Danny, was charged with assault. In July, as Maria and her son appeared at the Mecklenburg County courthouse for a hearing related to the incident, federal immigration agents arrested them. Maria and her son were handcuffed and led away as she cried for her other child, a toddler she had left in daycare.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/immigration-crackdown-makes-women-afraid-testify-against-abusers-experts-warn-n908271