Posted by January Contreras, Ombudsman for Citizenship and Immigration Services

Through the bi-partisan support and passage of the Violence Against Women Act and the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, Congress has expressed its strong support of law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting domestic violence and other crimes.  These laws also provide critical support to immigrant victims in stepping forward to report crimes.  This week, we saw Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies collaborate with non-governmental organizations to ensure these laws are carried out effectively.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security partnered with the Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys' Advisory Council, and Arizona Peace Officer and Standards Training Board to provide training about law enforcement and victim protection tools that exist in Federal laws.  I had the privilege of moderating this gathering of local law enforcement officers and prosecutors, along with officials from Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) who brought their experience and expertise to the forum to advance public safety.  This is just one example of an unprecedented level of outreach being conducted by the Department with state and local law enforcement about these issues.  

Yesterday, in that same spirit, I participated in the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s Community Engagement Day where I learned about the challenges facing the participants, and shared the work of the White House Council on Women and Girls and the related efforts of the Department of Homeland Security.  This year's Community Engagement Day addressed the complexities of immigration policies for victims of domestic violence, a particularly relevant topic to the Department.  To illustrate how challenging these issues can be, the program included an exercise illustrating real stories of domestic violence victims.  After this, a USCIS colleague and I were able to listen to feedback, answer questions, and share information about our work with representatives from 56 statewide and territorial coalitions against domestic and sexual violence, as well as tribal network members.     

As the Department of Homeland Security’s designee to the White House Council on Women and Girls, I work with colleagues throughout the Department on our efforts to combat violence against women.  As we continue to advance this work, we are committed to maintaining an open dialogue with state and local law enforcement officials and non-profit service providers who are on the frontlines of responding to domestic violence, to continue providing training and resources based on the situation on the ground.  We look forward to continuing these partnerships in communities throughout the country.

Posted by January Contreras, Ombudsman for Citizenship and Immigration Services and
Margo Schlanger, Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Last month, as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we met with a number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who work on issues related to victims of domestic violence and other violent crimes. The meeting provided an opportunity for Department of Homeland Security officials and NGOs to discuss ways we can continue to improve programs and services to protect victims.

During the meeting, we discussed the progress DHS has made in protecting the safety and security of victims of domestic violence and other crimes, including the development of a training program for DHS personnel explaining the requirements of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

The training program, which will be available to DHS personnel this month, will cover the obligations under federal law of DHS personnel to protect victims of domestic violence and other violent crimes that they encounter. The training was created by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), in coordination with an intra-agency work group including representatives from the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), the Ombudsman’s office, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Furthermore, this month, DHS is scheduled to release a resource guide for local law enforcement on U visas, which provide immigration protection to eligible victims of crime who are willing to assist with criminal investigations and prosecutions. CRCL is also working with ICE to produce briefing materials for state and local law enforcement including information on victim protections.

All of us at DHS take the issue of domestic violence seriously. We are committed to continuing to work with our partners -- and with employees -- to protect victims of domestic violence and other violent crimes.