Carmen* and her two daughters moved to a domestic violence shelter after she suffered injuries resulting from a horrendous beating by her spouse. Not only was Carmen suffering from domestic abuse perpetrated by her husband, she was also fearful of his actions outside of the house. New, unfamiliar people were constantly coming to the home that she shared with her spouse and their children, causing her to fear that her partner was involved in the sale of illicit drugs.

As the beatings that Carmen endured continued to get worse and her husband’s behavior continued to escalate, with him going so far as to threaten to murder the entire family if Carmen reported the abuse to the authorities, she decided that it was time to move herself and her daughters to a domestic violence shelter. Shortly after, her spouse returned to his home country and attempted to murder Carmen’s daughter that remained their on multiple occasions, causing her to flee to the United States to reside with her mother for fear of her safety. 

Holy Cross Ministries, one of AJFA’s grant program recipients, assisted Carmen with obtaining a “U non-immigrant visa” along with access to therapists and other resources. Carmen and one of her daughters were recently sworn in as U.S. citizens, while her oldest daughter who was forced to flee her home country is currently awaiting an interview to obtain her citizenship. Carmen frequently visits Holy Cross Ministries to thank them for their tireless work in ensuring safety for her and her daughters, saying that HCM is, “not just caseworkers, but a family.”

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