10 Years of…Survivor Support
We are in the middle of a 10 day series on the history of NMILC as part of our 10-year anniversary celebration. Each day we will be sharing highlights from one of our organization’s programs . Check back tomorrow for the next installment in the series!
NMILC’s Survivor Advancement Team focuses on providing immigrant survivors of violent crimes and trafficking with the legal information and resources needed to determine if they are eligible for immigrant humanitarian relief. This relief can be in the form of U visas or T visas which are designed to encourage immigrant survivors to come forward and not live in fear of removal.
NMILC has represented survivors of crime—including domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking—through partnerships with victim service providers and providing crime-victim visas which can provide an increasingly crucial permanent path to citizenship.
In addition, our Pathways Team through Navigators provide direct case management services, legal case preparation, assistance with emergency funding needs, and victim compensation.
Focuses on ensuring NMILC provides holistic and trauma-informed services to immigrant survivors of crimes by providing all staff and partners with training on trauma-informed legal practices.
Creates and maintains partnerships with community service providers to make smooth referrals and integrated case management that address their varied needs.
Leveraging Community Resources
NMILC has developed an innovative model of collaboration with local victim-rights organizations focused on improving client service to meet both the legal and holistic needs of immigrant survivors. Survivors are referred to our team once they are ready to file. Our referring partners include:
Enlace Comunitario
Esperanza Shelter
Life Link
Catholic Charities VAWA Immigration Project
New Mexico Asian Family Center
Crime Victims Reparation Commission
SOLACE Crisis Treatment Center
Centro Savila
Casa Fortaleza
Healing House
These organizations specifically work with survivors of violent crimes and other vulnerable populations in the immigrant community through holistic services.
NMILC’s believes trauma-informed approaches must be anti-racist and anti-sexist to be effective. A big component is helping survivors re-identify with their agency, since their victimization probably made them feel like they didn't have agency. These approaches work to ensure that the survivor is an active participant, rather than just receiving services transactionally. The trauma that our clients experience from surviving crimes is compounded by the trauma (personal and intergenerational) of systemic racism, xenophobia, heterosexism.
