Tahirih is deeply disappointed by the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage yesterday of a flawed bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.

This misguided bill fails to include protections for ALL victims of violence and reverses protections for courageous immigrant women and girls that have been in place since VAWA’s original passage in 1994.

Tahirih’s clients have historically been faced with threats of arrest and deportation from their abusers, but lately these women, who have a right to legal status, are caught in the crossfire of increased activities by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Government Accountability Office released a report in August 2008 citing widespread gaps in federal agencies’ implementation and enforcement of IMBRA.