Legal Rights for

Undocumented Women
who are Victims of a
Crime & their Pathway
to Citizenship
By: Cristina Rodriguez

Migration Statistics

Why are people

migrating?
Opposition to submission
Economic opportunities
Better living condition
Gender issues

Currently: As of 2012 there

are over 11.3 million
unauthorized migrants living
in the United States

The foreign-born share of the

U.S population has more than
Dangerous living conditions doubled since the 1960, but it
is still below its all time high
1960: 5.4%
Reunion with families
2012: 13%
1890: 14.8&

Case Study
What would you do?

Roots and Causes

easy targets
Vulnerability
Cycle of violence
Unaware of rights
FEAR of deportation

U-Visa
Victims of Serious Crime
Complete assistance with authorities
4 years
Limit 10,000 per year
Over 71,000 currently waiting

VAWA
Violence against women act
Self petition for abused spouses or children
Abuser has to be LPR or USC
Have to be abused during marriage
Must be good faith marriage & lived with abuser

Family Based
Five classification
1) Immediate relative: spouse, children under 21 &
unmarried, parent of a U.S citizen
2) Sons and daughters of US citizen single but 21+
3) Spouses & unmarried children of LPRS
4) Sons and daughters of US citizens but married
5) Siblings of US citizens

Food for Thought

http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/law-andpolicy/bulletin/2016/visa-bulletin-for-october2015.html

Solutions?
Lobbying
Writing letter to your representatives
Awareness
Comprehensive immigration reform
Activism
Being an ally

Works Cited
"Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status." USCIS. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
MANUEL KROGSTAD, Jens, and Jeffrey S. PASSEL. "5
Facts about Illegal Immigration in the U.S." Pew
Research Center RSS. N.p., 19 Nov. 2015. Web.
03 Dec. 2015.
"The Facts on Immigration Today." Center for
American
Progress. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec.
2015.