How zero tolerance forces undocumented victims into the shadows
(The Guardian United States)

Survivors of violence, rape and domestic abuse had a path to recourse through the US visa system. Now that is under threatYolanda Vzarona was kidnapped at knifepoint by a jilted former boyfriend. He stripped her naked and drove her into the mountains near San Diego. He raped her; he said if she told anyone he´d kill her children. After hours of pleading, she convinced him to let her go. `I´ll never be the same woman,` she said of that day of terror, more than 10 years ago.But what happened next may have been even more difficult: despite being an undocumented immigrant, Varona called the police. She helped law enforcement find her attacker and put him in jail. And she went to court to testify. Continue reading...