The Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA) is committed to protecting immigrants from sexual violence and defending the rights and safety of immigrant survivors. This month, the SVPA endorsed the Working for Immigrant Safety and Empowerment (WISE) Act and joined a letter to Congress demanding an end to violence and abuse by immigration enforcement.
WISE Act Endorsement
SVPA is proud to endorse the Working for Immigrant Safety and Empowerment (WISE) Act, which will strengthen and safeguard existing protections for immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and other forms of gender-based violence.
For many survivors, sexual violence is not only a personal trauma but a reason for migration itself. Survivors flee intimate partner violence, sexual exploitation, state violence, and persecution, only to encounter immigration systems that threaten detention, deportation, and family separation if they seek help. The WISE Act directly addresses this harm by ensuring that survivors can access the protections Congress already intended under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), and related laws—without fear of being detained or deported while their cases are pending.
Clear, accessible pathways to safety send a powerful global message: sexual violence is not acceptable, and survivors deserve protection, not punishment. The WISE Act empowers survivors to come forward, seek support, and speak out against abuse. Specifically this impactful bill lifts arbitrary visa caps, grants work authorization, limits immigration enforcement at sensitive locations, and strengthens confidentiality protections.
At a time when politicians are falsely blaming immigrants for sexual violence (as is explained by our SORVO framework), the WISE Act reaffirms the truth: immigrant women and children experience disproportionately high rates of abuse. Protection, not detention and fear, prevents violence.
GEC Letter to Congress
SVPA also joined 120 organizations in the Gender Equity Coalition’s letter to Congress condemning the escalating violence perpetrated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and demanding immediate oversight, funding restrictions, and enforceable protections.
Sexual violence by ICE agents during initial stops, enforcement operations, and detention is well-documented and alarmingly prevalent. Sexual abuse in immigration detention centers (committed by guards, facility staff, and contractors) remains widespread and rarely results in accountability. LGBTQ+ detainees report repeated instances of harassment and assault by staff, only to face retaliation when they speak up. These actions are all forms of state-tolerated sexual violence.
Further, people in detention are routinely subjected to state-sanctioned sexual violence, including invasive strip and cavity searches. Survivors are forced to endure these violations repeatedly simply to see their lawyers or loved ones, effectively mandating sexual violence in order to access basic human rights.
As the GEC letter makes clear, immigrant survivors are being systematically silenced. Militarized immigration enforcement has pushed survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence further into the shadows. Fear of arrest, detention, or deportation prevents survivors from reporting abuse, accessing medical care, or seeking social services. This further demonstrates the hypocrisy in claiming ICE and CBP promote public safety. Even survivors who are legally eligible for protections (such as VAWA self-petitions or U visas) are often too afraid to come forward. Many are concerned seeking help will endanger themselves or their families.
Conditions in immigration detention, specifically inadequate medical care, abusive practices, and documented sexual assault, compound trauma and increase vulnerability. These systems trap survivors in cycles of violence, reinforcing impunity while using public funds to sustain harm.
SVPA believes that preventing sexual violence requires confronting it wherever it occurs, particularly when it is perpetrated or enabled by the government. Endorsing the WISE Act and joining this coalition letter are part of our broader commitment to preventing state sexual violence and ensuring that immigrant survivors are protected. Safety, dignity, and justice should never depend on immigration status.
