Wednesday, January 19, 2011



Deporting domestic abuse victims

Yesterday's Southland Times has a disturbing story about our immigration system. An unnamed Kenyan migrant was being abused by her husband. She did the right thing and reported him. He was convicted, and they separated. And for her pains, she and her children are now going to be deported.

Think about the incentive that sets. Think about the power that gives abusers and perpetrators of domestic violence. Think about how other victims of domestic violence will respond. If the government wants to eliminate domestic violence in migrant communities, then this cruel decision is exactly the wrong way of doing it. But Immigration don't care about any of that - all they seem to care about is throwing as many people out of the country as possible.