Ruling Temporarily Restores Protections for Immigrant Survivors
- For media inquiries, email Alex Comisar with Actum here.
- Read the court’s order here.
- For more on Immigration Center for Women and Children v. Mullin, click here.
LOS ANGELES, May 21, 2026—Yesterday, a federal judge in the Central District of California issued an order protecting immigrant survivors of domestic violence, trafficking, and other serious crimes on a nationwide basis.
The ruling comes in Immigration Center for Women and Children v. Mullin, a nationwide class action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to rescind protections for survivors who are eligible for immigration benefits on account of abuse they have suffered under the VAWA, U Visa, and T Visa programs. On October 14, 2025, the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, Public Counsel, La Raza Centro Legal (LRCL), and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) filed the lawsuit on behalf of immigrant survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and other serious crimes who have been unlawfully arrested, imprisoned, and deported by the Trump administration.
In yesterday’s order, the court certified three nationwide classes of U, T, and VAWA petitioners and granted corresponding temporary protections while the case proceeds for class members, all survivors with petitions pending before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The order temporarily stays a January 2025 memo rescinding longstanding protections for survivors and two unlawful policies that flowed from that memo. It additionally requires the Department of Homeland Security to permit three named plaintiffs who were wrongfully deported to return to their homes in the United States. The court concluded that the challenged policies likely violate immigration laws and the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause.
The lawsuit came on the heels of Trump administration policy changes that allowed, for the first time in decades, the arrest, detention, and deportation of immigrant survivors of these violent crimes as a routine matter, without regard for the many protections Congress put in place for them.
“This ruling sends a clear message: the government cannot arrest, detain, and deport immigrant survivors who are legally entitled to remain in this country,” said Rebecca Brown, Supervising Attorney, Public Counsel’s Immigrants’ Rights Project. “Congress created the U visa, T visa, and VAWA protections precisely to ensure that survivors could come forward, seek help, and make our communities safer—and this administration has been breaking that promise. We will continue fighting until every survivor receives the safety, dignity, and justice they were promised.”
One of the named plaintiffs in ICWC, Carmen F., is a survivor of domestic violence. She escaped abuse after reporting her husband, who was subsequently deported. ICE detained her with her young child when they arrived for a scheduled check-in and deported them without considering her U visa application. When she landed in her home country, her abuser was waiting at the airport and forced her to return home with him. In its order, the court required the government to permit her to return to her home in the U.S. This order marks a renewed promise to protect Carmen and thousands of immigrant survivors like her.
Organizational plaintiffs in the suit include the Immigration Center for Women and Children, LRCL, CHIRLA, and California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, all of which do the courageous work of counseling and representing survivors of domestic abuse, human trafficking, and crime.
“This order temporarily restores some of the safety and security our nation promised to immigrant survivors who come forward to report their abuse,” said Bardis Vakili, Legal Director at the Center for Human Rights & Constitutional Law. “But the fight continues, because as much as the Trump Administration may believe otherwise, immigration agencies’ compliance with Congress’s law and the Constitution’s protections is not optional.”
“This ruling restores a measure of safety for the courageous survivors we serve, who came forward and applied for protection under the laws Congress created for them,” said Jessica Farb, Deputy Director at the Immigration Center for Women and Children (ICWC). “Our clients can breathe a little easier knowing that these protections and processes are being restored, helping ensure they can remain in the United States. This means they are less likely to face unlawful detention or deportation while their cases move forward and they receive the chance to be heard—including the more than 6,000 ICWC clients with pending U, T, and VAWA applications.”
“This decision gives me a much needed glimmer of hope for survivors of violence like my client Celia, who cooperated with federal prosecutors to hold prison staff accountable for sexual assault. Despite having a pending U-Visa application, Celia was arrested by ICE at an Atlanta airport and unjustly deported while traveling to attend her son’s military graduation,” said Susan Beaty, attorney with the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice.
“This order shows that the federal government’s mass deportation campaign was never about reducing crime,” said Jordan Weiner, Interim Executive Director at La Raza Centro Legal. “Stripping away policies designed to foster cooperation between immigrant communities and law enforcement undermines public safety for everyone. LRCL looks forward to opening our doors to Bay Area residents who have courageously come forward to report crimes and helping them access the full protections the law promises them.”
“With this ruling, the court has recognized the imminent threats posed by this Administration to immigrant survivors nationwide. These brave individuals, including CHIRLA clients and members, have been working with authorities to improve public safety by reporting the abuse they have suffered. Instead of assisting them, the Trump Administration has targeted them for illegal arrest, detention, and even deportation. This is not just cruel and inhumane, but it blatantly ignores the laws passed by Congress and thus thwarts the express will of the American public. We look forward to ensuring that this temporary court order is followed to the T and to making these protections permanent,” stated Angelica Salas, Executive Director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA).
Read more about the case here.
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Public Counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to advancing civil rights and racial and economic justice, as well as to amplifying the power of our clients through comprehensive legal advocacy. Founded on and strengthened by a pro bono legal service model, our staff and volunteers seek justice through direct legal services, promote healthy and resilient communities through education and outreach, and support community-led efforts to transform unjust systems through litigation and policy advocacy in and beyond Los Angeles.
The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRCL) is a legal non-profit committed to protecting and advancing the rights of immigrants through legal action, advocacy, and education. Through impact litigation, we challenge unlawful immigration policies to drive systemic change and establish stronger legal protections for immigrants. At the local, state, and federal levels, we advocate for fair and humane policies that uphold the rights of all immigrants.
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) was founded in 1986 to advance the human and civil rights of immigrants and refugees. CHIRLA became a place for organizations and people who support human rights to work together for policies that advance justice and full inclusion for all immigrants. CHIRLA has since become one of the largest and most effective advocates for immigrant rights, organizing, educating and defending immigrants and refugees in the streets, in the courts, and in the halls of power.
La Raza Centro Legal (LRCL) is a non-profit legal organization that provides high-quality, free legal representation to the Latino community and other low-income immigrant families. We work to advance civil and human rights and ensure access to justice especially for people most impacted by historical discrimination and violence both in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
Immigration Center for Women and Children (ICWC) is a non-profit legal organization providing free and affordable immigration services to underrepresented immigrants in California and Nevada. ICWC strives to provide security and stability for children who are abused, abandoned or neglected and for immigrants who are survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and other violent crimes.
