Speech #1040203625

She obtained a passport and returned to the United States to find that Mihi had withdrawn his petition sponsoring her for legal status. Mr. President. to treat Dania and these other VAWA eligible women as undocumented Is to punish them for being victims of a crime. Remember. domestic violence is a crime. whether or not the victim has a green card. Under this bill. these undocumented immigrant women would be Ineligible for any means tested government asaistance programs. The first amendment in this bloc. accepted by the managers of the bill. would allow women who are eligible to file independently for legal residence under the Violence Against Women Act. but have yet to do so. and thus are ineligible for assistance. to receive certain benefits Including AFDC and Medicaid. provided that they file for legal. permanent residence within 45 days. Lets say a battered Immigrant woman flees her abusive household in the middle of the night and goes to a domestic violence shelter. Prior to going to the shelter. she may not have even known that the Violence Against Women Act existed. and therefore. she has never selfpetitioned for residency. The next morning. the first thing she needs to deal with Is not her immigration status. but with the more pressing needs of finding a temporary source of food. diapers and medical care for her child. This amendment makes her immediately available for some of the public benefits that lawful permanent residents are eligible for. and then she has 45 days to file her claim for lawful permanent residency. If she fails to file the claim or the claim is denied. the benefits would be terminated.