Bills Would Provide Safety Net For Battered, Immigrant Women

Women who are immigrants to the United States and are abused by their spouses are excluded from public assistance under the 1996 welfare law. Economic survival is the second major concern of immigrant women in abusive relationships after fear of deportation, according to immigrant advocates.

Two bills before the House of Representatives would provide a safety net of benefits to help these women achieve economic independence. The Battered Immigrant Family Relief Act and the Women’s Immigrant Safe Harbor Act would amend the 1996 welfare law. Under the bills, battered immigrant women would be eligible for public benefits if they have filed a petition for legal immigrant status with the Immigration and Naturalization Service or already have been approved. The bills would remove the five-year ban on public benefits imposed by the 1996 welfare-reform law for certain groups of immigrants.

Public assistance programs for low-income families include Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), food stamps, Medicaid, and Supplemental Security Income. Battered immigrants would also be eligible for transitional housing under the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victims Housing Act now before the House of Representatives (Psychiatric News, June 7).

Several organizations that provide services to members of ethnic minorities across the country support the bills, including Ayuda Inc., which serves Latin-American women; the Asian (Women’s) Self-Help Association (ASHA), which serves women from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Bangladesh; and the Multicultural Therapeutic Intervention Services (MTIS). These organizations, located in Washington, D.C., are staffed by women with ethnic backgrounds similar to those of the clients they serve and provide support, counseling, and referrals to social and legal services.

Amelia Missieledies, M.S.W., a native of Ethiopia, owns and operates MTIS, which serves immigrant families in Washington, D.C. She specializes in treating West Africans (people from Nigeria, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Ethiopia) who have been traumatized by all kinds of violence including domestic violence.

“Public benefits—especially SSI and food stamps—would help battered clients leave abusive relationships,” said Missieledies in an interview. Most battered clients would rather stay in the United States because of educational and economic opportunities. Moreover, some of them may face political persecution if they return, said Missieledies.

Anuradha Sharma, ASHA’s executive director, said in an interview, “Public benefits would help over half the women we served last year who came here on H4 visas because they married permanent residents or U.S. citizens.”

She continued, “They prefer to stay in the United States where they can have a life of their own and regain their self-esteem. Back home, they typically receive little support from their families and society. Being divorced and abused are often viewed as shameful and the victim is blamed.”

Mariana Perez, a social worker with Ayuda Inc., said in an interview, “Economic resources would allow women who work night shifts cleaning offices to spend more time with their children instead of paying more than half their salary for babysitters.”

The text and status of the Battered Immigrant Family Relief Act (HR 3828) and the Women’s Immigrant Safe Harbor Act (HR 2258) can be accessed on the Web at http://thomas.loc.gov by searching on the bill number. ▪