The abuser called ICE

What the law says about the report

• The abuser's word alone is not enough to find you deportable. Under 8 U.S.C. 1367(a)(1), the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice may not make an adverse determination of admissibility or deportability using information furnished solely by the abuser or a member of the abuser's family. The rule does not apply if you have been convicted of a crime listed in INA 237(a)(2). USCIS also does not apply it to the denial of an I-360, I-751 or I-765V (PA-2025-34).
• They may not tell the abuser what happens next. Under 8 U.S.C. 1367(a)(2), information about a VAWA, T or U applicant may not be disclosed to anyone, with limited exceptions. That protection ends once an application is denied and all appeals are exhausted.
• What the statute does not do. In the firm's reading, it does not stop the call, and it does not stop ICE from acting on information it already has from another source, such as an old order or a criminal record. See confidentiality.

If you are in immigration court

VAWA has its own forms of relief before an immigration judge.

• VAWA cancellation of removal, under INA 240A(b)(2): battery or extreme cruelty by a U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse or parent (or by the parent of your child); 3 years of continuous physical presence; good moral character; not barred by specified grounds or an aggravated felony; and extreme hardship to you, your child or your parent. Unlike the self-petition, extreme hardship is an element here. See VAWA cancellation.
• The VAWA motion to reopen, under INA 240(c)(7)(C)(iv), if there is already a final order: within 1 year of the order, a deadline that can be waived for extraordinary circumstances or extreme hardship to a child; the usual one-motion limit does not prevent one such motion; you must be physically present. See the VAWA motion to reopen.
• The domestic violence waiver, under INA 237(a)(7), for a person charged with the domestic violence deportability ground who was battered or subjected to extreme cruelty and was not the primary perpetrator, if the judge also finds self-defense, a violation of a protection order meant to protect them, or a crime with no serious bodily injury connected to the abuse. See the 237(a)(7) waiver.

The court side is explained in full on VAWA in immigration court.

Read next: VAWA in immigration court, if a survivor is detained, threats of deportation, or confidentiality.