LEGAL SERVICES
Free legal services for children in immigration court and immigrant survivors of crime.
Legal Services for Immigrant Survivors of Crime
SD Voices for Peace is the only entity in the state providing NO-COST immigration legal services to survivors of crimes. Immigrants are oftentimes victims of crimes, and are scared to report crimes because their immigration status is used against them by their abuser.
There are special provisions in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and accompanying laws that provide immigrant survivors with pathways to legal status and citizenship.
We have assisted battered spouses of U.S. citizen abusers in filing for green cards, and assisted undocumented victims of child abuse and attempted murder on their pathways to citizenship. We work with shelters for survivors and law enforcement agencies to provide holistic services to survivors of all immigration statuses. We have been a partner with SD Network Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault since 2019.
Legal Services for Children in Immigration Court
Unaccompanied minors are children who have traveled to the border of the United States without a parent or guardian. The Office of Refugee Resettlement reports that there are 1,472 unaccompanied minors who have been released to a sponsor in South Dakota since FY 2015. Children have no right to a lawyer in immigration court.
Without legal representation, 90% of these children will be deported to countries with horrific violence, poverty, and corruption.
We are working to change the futures of children seeking a pathway to citizenship across South Dakota by providing legal support and connecting them and their families to social services needs. We provide a holistic approach to assuring vulnerable immigrants in our communities have a real chance to a better life. Click here to learn more about how this initiative started.
If you believe you are a victim of a crime, including domestic violence, or are/know of an unaccompanied minor, please email us at info@southdakotavoicesforpeace.org or call us at (605) 782-9560. We take calls in Spanish. If you need another language interpreter, please let us know what language and we will find someone to help us communicate.
Si cree que es víctima de un delito, incluida la violencia doméstica, o es/conoce a un menor no acompañado, envíenos un correo electrónico a info@southdakotavoicesforpeace.org o llámenos a (605) 782-9560. Recibimos llamadas en español. Si necesita otro intérprete de idioma, infórmenos en qué idioma y encontraremos a alguien que nos ayude a comunicarnos.
