California Bill Aimed at Assisting Immigrant Victims of Domestic Abuse
Put forth on April 28, 2008 by XicanoPwr
Posted in Immigration
As many of you know, I have written a couple of posts on the plight of two immigrant victims of domestic abuse, Emelina Ramirez Bojorquez and Ana Bertha Arellano. Late last week Alexis Moore asked me if I blog about a bill introduced by Assemblymember Juan Arambula to the California State Assembly, CA AB 2405, that would provide funding to “domestic violence prevention programs that [would] focus on assisting women who are immigrants or refugees or women who live in rural communities.”
The purpose of the bill is to assist domestic violence programs that will help address the barriers many immigrant women face living in the rural areas of California. Female immigrants, especially those in rural areas, are the most deprived of resources in dealing and recovering from domestic violence abuse. Immigrant women, like other abused women, may depend on their abusers for financial support, and breaking free of dependency is never easy. If they do escape, many of them face barriers, which often include language difficulties and cultural communities that discourage victims from talking about the abuse.
For many undocumented immigrants, deportation is the ultimate punishment. This fear is intensified when the undocumented person’s abusive partner, who is a citizen the United States, threatens to call the authorities to have them deported. Women who live in rural areas oftentimes have a lack of access to immigration lawyers to offer them any help. They have no way of fighting back, they are alone; they are stuck in conditions that are horrific.
AB 2405 has the potential to raise as much as $4.3 Million to fund domestic violence prevention programs. A hearing is set for Tuesday, April 29 in Sacramento, CA. If you live in CA, I urge you to contact Assemblymember Jose Solorio, Chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, to voice your support of the bill.
The immigration issue has become a hot political topic again, however, this is not an immigration issue, this is about domestic violence. Domestic violence is a social problem of epidemic proportions, which must be eradicated. By not acting on this now, we send out the message that there really is no justice for immigrants who are victims of domestic violence.
For more information about the bill and a sample letter for you to fax can be found on Alexis Moore’s blog. Fax your letter to 916.319.2131
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Tags: abused women, domestic violence abuse, domestic violence prevention, domestic violence programs, immigrant women | 
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8 Responses to “California Bill Aimed at Assisting Immigrant Victims of Domestic Abuse”
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Does the bill provide punishment for making a false claim?
Where is there a “rural” area in L.A. County?
BTW. I love my granddaughter, 2 daughters, Wife, Ex-wife, mom, 3 sisters, 2 nieces and 6 great nieces.
On a professional and personal level, I am full aware of the false claims. True, when it comes to domestic abuse, the view is that typically only WOMEN are the victims of domestic violence and that MEN are typically the perpetrators of all domestic violence. However, this is not true, men are also sometimes victims. I don’t know about CA, I know it is against the law to make a false report.
I am glad that you did bring it up because the problem is that law enforcement oftentimes take it in good faith and often treat innocent males as the guilty party and do not require proof that an accusation is true. Since society has not fully accepted that fact that men can be abused, it makes hard for men to report abuse.
False allegations of abuse not only can bring about permanent physical, emotional, and economic effects, but here in Texas, it is mandatory that the accuser be arrested. We all know what happens, the accuser will now have a permanent criminal record.
However, when we start second guessing good laws like these because some people abuse the system, we start creating a slippery slope. This is a societal problem because of the assigned gender roles. As long as we continue to preach that men are men and women are women, then we continue to have these problems.
There may not be any rural areas Los Angeles County, however, from what I gather, the rural areas of CA are in extreme need of services according to this Los Angeles Times article.
I wouldn’t recommend calling, I would suggest to send a letter instead.
As a man I think we should always give the woman the benefit of the doubt.
I remember my sister being afraid of my brother-in-law Tommy, a psycho green beret, Viet-Nam vet. It was horrifying for my nephew and niece. I was about 8-10 years old when I would pull back the curtains, pear through the window and swear to him that I would grow up and kill him.
He would brushed me off (of course) saying “shut up you little brat.”
Fast forward 39 years. I worked at a Holiday Inn Express and the owner instructed me to stay away from these particular rooms.
It seems the city had rented out those rooms for battered women. To get in all the ladies would have to do is file a restraining order and the city would hide them, offer them police protection and cover the hotel expense.
This was paid for by the taxpayer.
There is no excuse for hitting a woman. “Men” that do should be prosecuted and, if the jury finds them guilty, they should be punished.
I’m just having trouble about: 1, yet another law and 2, the $250.00 penalty.
CA has domestic violence laws and they are enforced. In CA, that $250.00 fine can cost between $1200.00 to $18-1900.00 dollars. (CA penalty assessment laws and other associated costs etc. etc.)
Poor people can ill afford yet another way for the state to take their money. They’ll probably just wind up “doing the time.” Possibly losing their jobs and housing.
When you make $40.00 a day, a $250.00 fine may as well be $2500.00.
When you see court employees driving around in Hondas, buying 400k homes you wonder who’s really getting the money.
Maybe the law should include a billboard: “Hit your wife, buy her a new car.” And “her” would be a court employee driving a Honda accord -del año.
Thanks for allowing me to post and the link to the article. Ima read it now.
Bill passed unanimously today in the Assembly. This bill will help to encourage all women no matter what ethnicity or background to seek help and to protect their children from violence. Everyone no matter what nationality should have the resources necessary to prevent domestic violence and the assistance needed to leave an abusive relationship.
Less the administrative costs.
Are you saying that white women do and “Latinas” do not? And prevention is great but what does the bill do to PREVENT domestic violence? You mean move the women out AFTER the fact. That is not prevention.
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