Irina

When “Irina,” a young undocumented woman, met “Francis,” a U.S. citizen, she thought she had found true love. Instead, she found herself married to a man who put her life at risk. At first, Francis seemed like the kind of loving and supportive partner Irina had always wanted, but he quickly turned violent. He hit Irina, sexually assaulted her, shamed …

Mother and Son Reunited After 8 Years Apart

We are thrilled to announce the reunification of our client “Rose” and her son! Our Lucha Program represented Rose, a Haitian survivor of domestic violence in her VAWA self-petition, which allows individuals to petition for immigration status without the sponsorship of the abusive US citizen or permanent resident spouse. Rose had a son “Jonny” still in Haiti whom she was desperate to be reunited with. Our team filed his initial visa application in January 2021 while …

Protecting Survivors in Legislature

AI Justice played a significant role in the defeat of proposed changes to the Violence Against Women Act in 2012, which would have decimated decades of protection for immigrant victims. Program Director Michelle M. Ortiz published an Op-Ed in the Huffington Post about the flawed bill, HR 4970 Empowers Abusers, Not Victims, 5/12/12. During a 2012 House Judiciary Committee hearing …

AI Justice Prevails in Unique Trafficking Case

AI Justice prevailed in a unique labor trafficking case, freeing an Argentinian couple who had been forced by threats and coercion to work for months without pay in a luxury bed and breakfast on Miami Beach. Our attorneys reported the trafficking to the Department of Homeland Security and represented the couple in their immigration matter, securing a visa for them …

Advocacy Aids Reathorization of VAWA

AI Justice played an important role in the 2013 re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Deputy Director Michelle Ortiz, Esq. worked closely with other nationally prominent VAWA advocates and the South Florida Congressional delegation to ensure that protections for immigrant women remained in place.

Key Member of Freedom Network

Program Manager Michelle Ortiz, Esq. is Co-chair of the membership committee of the Freedom Network, an internationally recognized coalition of anti-trafficking experts committed to fighting human trafficking by influencing public policy with a human rights perspective.