ICE deporting crime survivors Congress protected, lawsuit filed
Mar 4, 2026·Location: Los Angeles, CA
Country of origin: El Salvador

ICE is deporting crime survivors who have long been protected by Congress through programs like the U-Visa, Violence Against Women Act, and T-Visa for trafficking survivors. A multi-state class-action lawsuit challenges the Trump administration's 2025 ICE guidance that rescinds policies protecting these groups from deportation. Plaintiff Yessenia Ruano, a former Milwaukee teacher's aide with a pending T-Visa application, self-deported to El Salvador with her U.S. citizen children after ICE threatened her during a check-in.
Sources
- ICE is deporting crime survivors Congress has long protected; multi-state lawsuit challenges policy
abc7.com·Mar 4, 2026·archived copy
- Venezuelan Trafficking Survivor Detained by ICE, Separated from Children Amid Legal Battle
ibtimes.co.uk·Mar 26, 2026·archived copy
- Legal tug-of-war keeps Mass. man applying for labor trafficking visa in ICE detention
WGBH·Feb 6, 2026·archived copy
- Sacramento Bee
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