Houston Director: “It is urgent that we enact alternatives to detention and release survivors of sexual and domestic violence as soon as possible.”

A historic ruling from the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals is a huge step forward for domestic violence survivors seeking refuge in America, but more action is needed to ensure equal protection for all survivors.

I came to Tahirih so that I could expand my practice to new areas in immigration law and represent more women and girls who are demanding a life free from violence. They deserve the same freedom that I take for granted every day.

Girls now account for almost half of unaccompanied children making the dangerous trip north from Central America. At the epicenter of the border crisis, Tahirih Houston is working to ensure their protection.

When Anne Chandler travels around Houston, she doesn’t see the same city you and I see.

When Kadi entered the United States for the second time, she knew there would be no returning to her home country of Mali. An activist who fought for women’s rights and who defied her husband and community to protect her daughter from female genital mutilation, she knew that returning would cost her her life and leave her daughter without a protector.

For women and girls like Tahirih’s clients, it is not enough to have just any attorney. Their unique gender-based violence cases require attorneys who are well-versed in both sensitive cultural issues and the extremely complicated and often unexplored territory of gender-based immigration law.