State Ends Funding for Immigrant Crime Victim Assistance - Articles

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Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Aug 28, 2025

The Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence has long provided legal help to immigrant victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking, assisting them in applying for special visas that are set aside for those who cooperate with police. As of June 30, however, the group’s immigrant legal clinic closed after the Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs ended immigrant legal aid grants. Jennifer Escue, the coalition’s CEO, said the cut leaves already vulnerable victims with few legal alternatives. “They’re not going to get help, they’re not going to report and it’s one more thing their abusers can hold over them” she tells the Tennessee Lookout. Another Tennessee nonprofit, Justice for Our Neighbors, is trying to fill the gap but reports turning away a high volume of immigrant victims seeking help.