Domestic Violence and the Plight of the Unauthorized Migrant: Hon. Mimi Tsankov

"VAWA provides wide-ranging support, including enhanced immigration-related prosecution measures, expanded and better-coordinated federal and state enforcement partnerships, comprehensive immigration law benefits for victims, and expanded federal financial support and guidance for state and local initiatives.  In Section I, this article explains the types of immigration-related prosecution measures available under federal immigration law.  In Section II, the article evaluates the nature of expanded federal and state enforcement partnerships.  In Section III, the article considers how immigration law benefits for victims have been expanded.  In Section IV, the article discusses the nature of federal financial support and guidance for state and local law initiatives.  Finally, the article concludes that while there has been significant progress in this area of the law in terms of the extent to which domestic violence crimes have been addressed generally, it is still not clear how well the population of migrant domestic violence victims’ needs are being met, and whether policies in place have significantly curtailed continued abuse of this population.  There may still be aspects that cause concern for victims and impede the extent to which victims fully engage the state and federal legal systems." - Hon. Mimi E. Tsankov, The Federal Lawyer, Oct/Nov 2014.  [Mimi E. Tsankov is an Immigration Judge with the Department of Justice (DOJ), Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).  In addition, she is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, and the University of Colorado, School of Law.  She writes in her personal capacity and the views expressed are not necessarily those of the Department of Justice.]