Program Description

Vea abajo para Descripción española de Programa

The Dirección de Protección y Asuntos Consulares ("DIRECCIÓN GENERAL DE PROTECCIÓN ") of the Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores of the Government of Mexico wishes to establish a pilot program for the purpose of providing essential social and legal services for Mexican national migrant women and children residing in the United States who are the survivors of domestic violence and abuse ("Pilot Program"). The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law Foundation ("CHRCL") is a non-profit corporation located in and incorporated under the laws of the State of California and has a history of expertise and experience in addressing the needs of undocumented Mexican nationals residing in the United States, including by providing legal and social services to women and children who have been the survivors of domestic abuse and violence, and by defending the legal rights of undocumented Mexican national migrants before the courts of the United States; and

The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, Inc. ("CHRCL, Inc.") is the sister organization of and affiliated with the CHRCL. The CHRCL, Inc. operates the Casa Libre Youth Shelter, a 14-bed licensed group home in Los Angeles, California, that serves as a shelter for abused, abandoned and/or neglected undocumented migrant children in the United States. The DIRECCIÓN GENERAL DE PROTECCIÓN, among other things, wishes through the Pilot Program to provide for emergency shelter and social services for abused, abandoned and/or neglected undocumented migrant children in the United States.

Representatives of the DIRECCIÓN GENERAL DE PROTECCIÓN, CHRCL, and CHRCL, Inc. have met several times to discuss and evaluate the possible establishment of a Pilot Program for Mexican national women and children survivors of domestic abuse in the United States, and have concluded that the operation of such a program is viable and will be highly beneficial to such survivors of domestic abuse.

The DIRECCIÓN GENERAL DE PROTECCIÓN and the CHRCL and CHRCL, Inc. have therefore agreed to collaborate on the Pilot Program as described more fully below. The program will initially operate in four States: California, Arizona, Teaxs, and Illinois. Unless extended by mutual agreement, the Pilot Program will operate from December 2004 to December 2005.

Components of the Pilot Program:

In order to implement the Pilot Program, the CHRCL and CHRCL, Inc. will retain, train and supervise experienced professional staff members for all actions required by the Program. Peter Schey, President and Executive Director of the CHRCL and CHRCL, Inc., will provide the overall design, direction, and supervision of the Pilot Program.

The CHRCL will establish and coordinate a community outreach and publicity program regarding the Pilot Program for Abused Women and Children with the goal of communicating with as many Mexican national women and children abuse survivors in California, Arizona, Texas, and Illinois as possible about their legal rights as survivors of abuse and the services provided by the Pilot Program. To this end the CHRCL will allocate appropriate program funds for staff to write and design the outreach program during December 2004 and January 2005. The outreach publicity campaign will commence in January 2005. The campaign will include publication of announcements in Spanish language newspapers and radio, and establishment of this web site in English and Spanish with information about the Pilot Program.

During December 2004 and January 2005, CHRCL program staff will research the available remedies for survivors of abuse and develop a comprehensive intake and assessment form that will provide all necessary information to deliver services to such survivors. The form will be distributed to officers of the Consular Protection Departments of all the Mexican Consulates in the United States, via the Internet, and to other interested groups, including, for example, hometown associations. This task will be completed in January 2005.

In the month of January 2005, CHRCL will also distribute program announcements and the survivor assessment form and instructions to hometown associations, community-based organizations, churches, and social service agencies.

During the 12-month Pilot Program, the CHRCL will employ and direct program staff to work with Mexican Consular Protection officers in California, Arizona, Texas, and Illinois to (i) provide training on the scope of the pilot program and how to complete the intake and assessment process, (ii) answer questions in the process of completing the forms throughout the pilot program, (iii) follow-up with Protection officers regarding information or documents needed for legalization applications, and (iv) keep Protection officers informed and updated on the progress of legalization applications. Initial training of Protection Officers will occur during the months of January and February 2005.

During December 2004 and January and February 2005, CHRCL will employ and assign program staff to research and compile contact information for an internet-based resource database of organizations in the four Pilot Program States that provide law enforcement services and free or low-cost social, medical, legal and psychological services to Mexican national women and children who are survivors of domestic abuse. In addition, the CHRCL staff will design and build a resource database and maintain and then update the data base during the course of the Pilot Program. The database will be available at this web site and will be ready for use by Protection Officers, hometown associations, and other concerned organizations by January 2005.

During the one-year Pilot Program the CHRCL will employ and assign attorney staff members to provide and/or coordinate the provision of free legal services to abused Mexican national women and children residing in California, Arizona, Illinois, and Texas, to legalize their status in the United States through applications for U-Visas, lawful permanent resident status under the Violence Against Women Act ("VAWA"), and/or lawful permanent resident status under the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status ("SIJS") visa category, and to apply for employment authorization for such survivors of abuse.

During the one-year Pilot Program the CHRCL will also employ and assign staff members to (i) locate and identify attorneys and law firms willing to provide free legal services to apply to legalize the immigration status of Mexican national women and children living in California, Arizona, Illinois, and Texas who are the survivors of abuse, (ii) research and write a training manual for use by such free attorneys and law firms, (iii) print and distribute the manual, to provide training to the attorneys and law firms, (iv) travel expenses to provide the trainings, and (v) to coordinate the assignment of cases and monitor developments in the cases.

During the one-year Pilot Program the CHRCL, Inc., through its Casa Libre Youth Shelter, will provide social services for abandoned, abused and/or neglected Mexican migrant children. Such services may include counseling, transportation, clothing, shelter, food, medical treatment, education, and recreational and cultural activities.

It is the goal of the Pilot Program to provide (1) free legal representation to approximately 250 women and children survivors of abuse during the one year program, (2) social services at Casa Libre for approximately 35 Mexican migrant children, and (3) referral services to approximately 500 women and children survivors of abuse.