“Tatiana Hernández is a staff attorney on Americans for Immigrant Justice’s Lucha Project, which helps immigrant victims of crime gain legal status and connect with resources.
She says protections exist for undocumented people who are victims of crime.
‘Because they’re undocumented, that ends up being a vulnerability for individuals,’ said Hernández. ‘The US government has seen it’s a vulnerability, they created relief for victims of crime who go forward and cooperated that they will be protected from being deported if they report the crime against them.
‘It’s used to keep them in a position of being abused and it’s important for them to know they should report and can get access to help.’”