She married a U.S. citizen. After she alleged abuse, he threatened deportation.

The Facebook connection that popped into her relationship started arsenic a flirtation: "Hey, however are you?" 

She had recently arrived from Bangladesh to survey for her master's successful accusation exertion connected a pupil visa successful 2022 and wasn't funny successful a relationship. 

She liked the message. Then helium texted again a fewer days later, "Hey, I person tickets to a Broadway show."  

She had ne'er been to a Broadway amusement before, truthful she went — and their whirlwind archetypal day rapidly turned to emotion for her and past marriage. On Feb. 14, 2024, the mates joined the enactment to get joined astatine the New York City courthouse. 

"I brought a achromatic formal online, not precise fancy and achromatic shoes, tiara and flowers," she said. "I was smiling, conscionable looking astatine him. I felt truly good." 

Her caller hubby filed for a greenish paper for his wife. A impermanent 1 was granted, and she moved to his family's location successful Brooklyn.

The aboriginal seemed bright. 

A emergence successful the menace of deportations 

Now, conscionable a small much than a twelvemonth later, the 31-year-old woman, who asked CBS News not to usage her sanction owed to information fears, has separated from her hubby aft alleging maltreatment — and is present disquieted astir being deported. 

As immigration enforcement raids summation successful the U.S.  – including operations successful Los Angeles, which led to protests that prompted President Trump to mobilize National Guard troops — communities are shaken watching the deportations of families, friends and co-workers.

One assemblage that's particularly vulnerable, experts say, are victims of home violence. Crystal Justice, main outer affairs serviceman astatine the National Domestic Violence Hotline, told CBS News successful a connection that they person seen abusive partners "threatening to deport a spouse oregon their household oregon withholding ineligible documents to bounds a person's quality to travel."

Many immigrants are successful the U.S. connected a visa supported by a U.S. citizen, oregon are undocumented, with fewer protections. Often, arsenic the narration spirals into maltreatment allegations, spurned oregon angered partners tin endanger to deport their loved ones with uncertain migration statuses. 

Esther Limb, migration signifier manager astatine Her Justice successful New York City, a not-for-profit that advises and trains attorneys to supply escaped ineligible assistance to women, said determination has been a emergence successful the threats of deportations by abusers.  

"While utilizing migration presumption against their victims is simply a communal maneuver utilized by galore abusers, by echoing the anti-immigrant rhetoric and pointing to migration enforcements happening successful their communities, the menace of deportation by abusive spouses is louder than ever and allows abusers to wield greater powerfulness and power implicit their victims," Limb said. 

A monolithic backlog and agelong waits

Limb represents galore clients — including the 1 interviewed for this CBS News portion — successful filing petitions to enactment successful the U.S. aft alleging home violence. Waiting for an reply to these petitions tin instrumentality years owed to backlogs and vetting for the applications. 

Immigrants who allege abuse can file to enactment successful the U.S. nether the Violence Against Women Act, but those petitions tin travel with a hold of sometimes much than 36 months for an answer. These applicants are adjacent relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful imperishable residents, and they tin record for presumption connected their own, without the abuser's knowledge, consent oregon participation. 

There were 35,917 VAWA petitions successful 2024, according to information from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Petition filings person accrued by much than 350% successful the past decade. In 2014, determination were 7,130 filings.

Immigrants — including undocumented immigrants —  tin besides record for a nonimmigrant presumption visa, known arsenic a U-visa, if they were victims of assorted crimes, including home violence. The hold clip for last support is much than 8 years, owed to a monolithic backlog of petitions, Limb said. There were 41,558 petitions filed successful 2024, doubling implicit the past decade, according to USCIS data. There are much than 238,000 cases presently pending. 

People are "very, precise scared"

In the meantime, immigrants watch, hold and worry, hoping their petition volition beryllium approved, similar the pistillate interviewed by CBS News. She said she cries abruptly astatine enactment sometimes, waking up astatine nighttime and perpetually looks implicit her shoulder.

She near her husband, she says, aft assorted incidents of verbal and carnal abuse. She claims the constabulary came to their house, and she went to the exigency room, wherever she says the infirmary told her she had to marque a constabulary report. She was fixed a database of what constitutes home abuse. 

"I didn't privation to spell back," she said. "...I didn't cognize what to do." 

She said her sister, who immigrated to the U.S. years agone came to sojourn her from Connecticut and told her, "You don't person to spell back." She past chopped disconnected each interaction with her hubby and his family. 

Then the messages and threats started. 

CBS News reviewed substance messages and documents astatine the Her Justice bureau successful New York City, allegedly from the client's erstwhile spouse threatening to telephone ICE and deport her. She filed for a VAWA petition, her lawyer said. CBS News viewed videos of the couple's wedding time and interviewed the client, but did not scope retired to the erstwhile spouse for information concerns for the client. 

One connection read, "1. You are my wife. 2. I americium your petitioner. Lawfully you cannot conscionable leave, arsenic an American you are my responsibility. I'm atrocious but I warned you."

Text connection showing alleged deportation threats CBS News/ Handout

Others were sent to her sister. One substance connection said, "I volition beryllium reaching retired to migration soon." Another said, "ICE tin amusement up immoderate time and deport."

Limb said abusers present person much powerfulness and power close present arsenic they cognize they tin usage their partners' migration presumption successful the existent climate. 

"That is much scary than thing other for a batch of our clients to beryllium deported oregon to beryllium removed and/or separated from their children," Limb said. "People are very, precise scared."

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For anonymous, confidential help, radical tin telephone the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224. People tin substance START to 88788 oregon chat on TheHotline.org.

• Immigration
• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• Domestic Violence