Description

This training was held on October 3, 2025 at the Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence (CCDV) in San Antonio, Texas. During this training, participants gained practical skills to better screen, support and assist immigrant survivors eligible for immigration legal remedies (VAWA, T visa, U visa, and SIJS). The training emphasized trauma-informed practices and strategies to enhance the safety and economic security of survivors. The training also highlighted the important role of family court legal protections and how to address the special issues for immigrant survivors in protection order, custody, child support and divorce cases including SIJS judicial determinations, judicial U-Visa certifications, and enforcing affidavits of support. Finally, this training demonstrated how to use NIWAP’s public benefits maps to help immigrant victims and their children gain access to public benefits and services.

PowerPoint Presentation

Bexar County Courts: Improving Access to Justice for Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, Sexual Assault, Stalking and Human Trafficking in Family Court Cases

Description

This training was held on December 9th, 2025 for Bexar County Courts. This training highlighted what every family court judge and family lawyer needs to know to promote access to justice and fairness when immigration law issues arise in family court cases. Attendees learned how to identify victims who qualify for abuse-based forms of immigration relief that improve safety, stability, and economic security for victims and their children. Faculty addressed special issues that arise in protection order, divorce, custody, child support, and child welfare cases involving litigants who are victims of crime or abuse and children
who are immigrants or live in immigrant families. Other topic highlights included, family court judge’s role in U visa certifications and SIJS judicial determinations, how federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) confidentiality impact family court discovery, immigration related abuse as coercive control, and current protections for immigrant victims seeking help from state courts

PowerPoint Presentation

Judicial/Judge Resources

NJN Webpage

NJN Registration

State Justice Institute (SJI) and National Judicial Network Training Materials (September 6, 2025) – NIWAP Web Library

VAWA Confidentiality

Three Prongs of VAWA Confidentiality

Letters That Promote ICE Compliance With 2025 Policies and Statutes

Bench Card on Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Confidentiality

VAWA Confidentiality Cases Involving Immigrant Survivors

Advocate’s Guide to Immigrant Survivors’ Rights and Protections

National Judicial Network Peer-to-Peer Sessions – Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Confidentiality: Criminal and Family Case Discovery (October 1 & Nov. 12, 2024)

Screening

Immigration Options for Victims of Crime-Information for Law Enforcement, Healthcare Providers, and Other Front-Line Workers

Immigration Relief for Abused, Abandoned, or Neglected Children Special Immigrant Juvenile Classification

DHS Interactive Infographic on Protections for Immigrant Victims

Immigration Relief for Victims

Bench Card on Immigration Relief for Battered Spouses, Children, and Immigrant Crime Victims

Comparison Chart of U visa, T Visa, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Self-Petition, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

Bench Card on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Findings Pertaining to State Court Judges

SIJS Case Law Chart

Preparing a VAWA Self Petition

U Visa Certification and T Visa Declaration Toolkit

U-Visas: Victims of Criminal Activity

U-Visa: “Helpfulness” Checklist 

T-Visa Law Enforcement Resource Guide (October 20,2021)

U Visa Law Enforcement Resource Guide (February 28, 2022)

Trauma Informed Structured Interview Questions (SIQI)

Trauma Informed Structured Interview Questionnaires for Immigration Cases– includes questions for identifying human trafficking and domestic violence relationships

Advocate’s and Attorney’s Tool for Developing a Survivor’s Story: Trauma Informed Approach (April 27, 2023)

Research from 2017 and 2021

Promoting Access to Justice for Immigrant and LEP Crime Victims in an Age of Increased Immigration Enforcement – National Report (May 3, 2018)

Transforming Lives: How the VAWA Self-Petition and the U Visa Change the Lives of Survivors and their Children After Employment-Authorization and Legal Immigration Status – Abstract, Conclusions and Recommendations (June 8, 2021)

Battering or Extreme Cruelty

Battering or Extreme Cruelty: Drawing Examples from Civil Protection Order and Family Law Cases (September 12, 2015)

SPARC Judicial Officer Guide: Responding to Stalking (July 5, 2022) -includes comparison of stallking, coercive control and battering or extreme cruelty

Victims of Human Trafficking

Questions for Identifying Trafficked or Enslaved Persons (June 2011)

Domestic Violence and Involuntary Servitude as Human Trafficking (August 17, 2023) 

Office of Trafficking in Persons (OTIP)

National Judicial Network & HHS’ Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) 2023 Sessions

HHS OTIP -Child Eligibility Benefits Handout (February 20, 2024)

Civil Protection Orders

Immigrants and Protection Orders Bench Card (March 30, 2019)

Chapter 05.1: Battered Immigrants and Civil Protection Orders

Civil Protection Order Webinars For Judges, Court Staff, Attorneys and Victim Advocates – National Judicial Network (2023 & 2024)

National Judicial Network Peer-to-Peer Session – State Protection Orders: A Civil Remedy for Victims of Human Trafficking (March 4, 2025)

Family- Custody

Family Court Bench Card on Issues that Arise in Custody Cases Involving Immigrant Parents, Children, and Crime Victims

When Family and Immigration Laws Intersect: Case Law and Department of Homeland Security Policy Update (November 28, 2021) 

The 2025 ICE Detained Parents Directive Vs. the 2022 ICE Parental Interests Directive

*Best Interest of the Child Statutes – State-by-State Maps and Comparison Charts (December 2017)

Philadelphia Legal Assistance: Planning for Custody

Detained or Deported: What About My Children? What to do if You Can’t Be With Them [pdf]

Maria L’s Story (pp 11-13)

Utilizing VAWA Confidentially Protections in Family Court Proceedings (pp 69-84)

Family- Divorce and Economic Relief

Bench Card for State Court Judges on Common Issues that Arise From Parties’ Immigration Status: Economic Remedies (March 10, 2022)

Bench Card: Impact of Divorce on Immigration Status (December 28, 2021)

Affidavits of Support and Enforceability Bench Card (June 13, 2024)

Healthcare

Health Care Options for Immigrant Survivors Factsheet (August 5, 2024)

Coverage for Forensic Costs for Immigrant Crime Victims (August 2, 2024)

Health Care Access for Lawfully Present Immigrants – Definitions (May 27, 2024)

Programs Open to Immigrant Victims and All Immigrants Without Regard to Immigration Status (July 23, 2015)

Public Benefits – Texas

All State Public Benefits Charts and Interactive Public Benefits Map (2025)

Texas Public Benefits Chart (2025)

Texas Public Benefits Screening Chart for Refugees and Immigrant Survivors by Forms of Immigration Relief (updated January 19, 2025) 

Timeline: Public Benefit For Immigrant Survivors in Texas

NIWAP Directory