Women with children waiting to apply for asylum at the Nogales Port of Entry. They are claiming domestic violence in their home countries. (July 5, 2018)
Immigrants experienced a blow recently when Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced in June that domestic violence is no longer a valid reason to seek asylum in the U.S. But a group made up of women from Patagonia, Elgin, Sonoita and Green Valley says it will not stop advocating for and helping immigrant women seeking asylum in the U.S. because of domestic violence in their home countries.
Kathy Noaker is one of the founding members of “Voices From the Border” and says one immigrant woman is special to the group.
“Her name is Isabel and she is from Guatemala. She’s in her 30s and she has four children. She didn’t have any option but to leave because she couldn’t find any safety in her country.”
The Guatemala Human Rights Commission reports that Guatemala has the third-highest rate in the world for femicide, the killing of women.
Soaker says Isabel told her that she was brutalized by her husband, a police officer in Guatemala. One of the goals of "Voices from the Border" is to get immigrant women to safety if they have experienced domestic violence.
“And we were able to do that for Isabel," said Noaker. "She ended up in New York, and there’s an amazing community there that we found that has been helping her,” Noaker said.
When they can, members of group follow families through the immigration system and help them get legal advice on their cases.
Noaker says “Voices From the Border” plans to keep helping their sisters from Central America, even though the asylum rules in the United States have changed.
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