This Toolkit builds upon the principles of equality between all people, with equal rights to safety and security, and survivor advocacy that “meets people where they are.” When working with immigrant survivors, “meeting people where they are” almost always involves providing equal care and attention to a person’s immigrant experience as to their survivor experience, knowing that the two are intrinsically linked.
In addition, this Toolkit assumes that, as an advocate, you know that changing behavior – including your own efforts to advance your practices – generally requires expanding knowledge and evolving attitudes. To these ends, we will provide both information and practice guidance throughout.
This section of the Toolkit provides an easily-digestible framework from which to learn:
- What is immigration status?
- Immigrant survivors’ rights and resources as established under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and, more specifically, when advocating for, working with, and ensuring language access for immigrant survivors.
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You may already have personal experience and/or good training on the immigration system and are looking, instead, for some support to effectively integrate this knowledge into your practices. See “Intake,” where you may first meet many survivors, for practice guidance on:
- Explicitly welcoming immigrant survivors
- Providing important preliminary information – rights, options, and what you and your program can offer
- Providing guidance specific to domestic, sexual, and workplace violence against immigrant survivors
- Screening for immigration relief needs and options
