\u201cWay before this administration, that was one of the power and control tools that an abuser used against a victim if the victim was not documented and their citizenship was tied to their abuser,\u201d Smith says. \u201cThey would say, if you leave me or divorce me, you\u2019re not a citizen anymore and I\u2019ll make them take your green card away. That\u2019s always been a threat. Now, the abuser can not only use that, but you see it in real time. People are getting deported regardless of whether they were even on ICE\u2019s radar.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over the past year and a half, regulations on federal grants have tightened, and, in order to receive those dollars, nonprofits have to sign a statement saying they will \u201cfollow immigration laws,\u201d Smith says. \u201cA lot of agencies have chosen not to sign that statement, and by doing so, they have chosen not to apply for federal grants,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
The Council gets most of its funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for a rapid rehousing program that covers rent and utilities for domestic violence victims for up to two years. Undocumented men and women are ineligible because of the new federal mandates. They also can\u2019t receive crime victims compensation \u2014 which covers relocation funds, medical bills and counseling \u2014 if those dollars are tied to a federal grant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Additionally, in years past, domestic violence victims didn\u2019t get entered into a database for public housing recipients because they were exempt under the Violence Against Women Act.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir information is supposed to be confidential,\u201d Smith says. \u201cNow the government has decided that they need to be entered into that. It\u2019s on a case-by-case basis with the city and the county whether they can exempt someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Ecclesia.jpeg\")
Children, spouses and neighbors of undocumented immigrants gathered on October 2 at Ecclesia church to share stories of how their loved ones are living in fear of ICE. Credit: April Towery<\/p>\n
Another Houston nonprofit, Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse,<\/a> primarily represents domestic violence victims in family court. About 28 percent of AVDA\u2019s clients are undocumented immigrants. That number dropped by 50 percent in 2017, when Trump took office for his first term, and CEO Maisha Colter says \u201cwe\u2019re afraid that\u2019s going to happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe won\u2019t run those numbers until the end of this year but we do see a downward trend,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Colter adds that people experiencing abuse ought to be protected under the Violence Against Women Act, a federal law that \u201cessentially says you prioritize the crime of domestic violence over anything related to a person\u2019s status.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf someone comes to us and they\u2019re qualified based on the fact that they are a victim of domestic abuse, we serve them,\u201d she says. \u201cThat hasn\u2019t changed. What has changed in this recent administration is that when you get a VAWA grant, it imposes these rules that say you won\u2019t protect someone because of their status.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou can help them, but you can\u2019t preclude any type of intervention on the part of the federal government,\u201d she added. \u201cIn this particular climate, going to family court can make someone a target because it\u2019s an easy place to access [undocumented] individuals. We can\u2019t stop someone from entering a courthouse, making an assessment about an individual and picking that person up.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s always been a risk that speaking out about domestic violence could result in harm from the abuser, Colter says, but now the risk is elevated to \u201cgovernment-sanctioned harm,\u201d and if someone appears in court for a custody hearing, they could be nabbed by an ICE agent. Colter says she\u2019s seen it happen.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a client who was named sole managing conservator of her children and the person on the other side was precluded from having access other than supervised visits,\u201d Colter says. \u201cHe knew her status. He called the authorities. She was subsequently picked up. She was put on an ICE hold and it took a long time to get her out of custody. That\u2019s the sort of climate that now has more bite and more consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Smith, there\u2019s no sugarcoating how domestic violence nonprofits found themselves facing more barriers specifically related to assisting the undocumented. It happened during the first Trump administration, and it\u2019s happening again. \u201cIt\u2019s going to get worse before it gets better,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n A Reduction in Calls<\/p>\n The Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council\u2019s annual budget is $11.6 million. About $2.4 million comes from the county, through the Domestic Violence Assistance Fund, and that allocation is then distributed by the Council to 19 nonprofits.\u00a0<\/p>\n State grant funds go toward a special victims prosecution unit and protective order project in the district attorney\u2019s office. That leaves a big chunk of domestic violence support services to be funded by private donors and the United States government.\u00a0<\/p>\n Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare and County Attorney Abbie Kamin announced last week the launch of a Protective Order Extended Team whose members will meet with domestic violence victims \u201cwhere they are,\u201d rather than requiring them to come to the courthouse.\u00a0<\/p>\n Teare acknowledges that the Trump administration\u2019s aggressive immigration enforcement approach is making it more difficult for witnesses and victims to come forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe rhetoric and behavior of the federal government is making us less safe,\u201d Teare said at an October 2 news conference. \u201cPeople are afraid to report crimes. Many people are more afraid of the federal government than the people abusing them at home every day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n About 55 percent of AVDA\u2019s $6 million budget comes from state and federal grants, but the agency doesn\u2019t house people, so the barriers they face are different from other domestic violence nonprofits.\u00a0<\/p>\n After experiencing a reduction in calls during the first Trump administration, AVDA and the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council saw the numbers pick back up to pre-pandemic levels while President Joe Biden was in office. Now that the numbers appear to be declining once again, Smith says, \u201cSome people are touting that as, oh, look what we\u2019re doing, but the reality is that people aren\u2019t calling the police as much as they used to, not that we\u2019re doing such a bang-up job of policing.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith says calls went down during the COVID-19 pandemic because people were stuck inside and relying on their partner for childcare or financial support.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey were waiting until the abuse got really bad,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing that now in the immigrant community. There\u2019s a lack of trust in the police, and, \u2018Are they going to turn me over to ICE?\u2019 There\u2019s such a huge discussion about which police agencies are cooperating with ICE, which makes it more difficult. Have we heard of any of our survivors who have been detained when they call the police? No, but everyone knows someone who knows someone. They are still very fearful of coming forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Swati Narayan works for Daya Houston<\/a>, a nonprofit that aims to \u201cempower South Asian survivors of domestic and sexual violence through culturally specific services and to educate the community in an effort to end the cycle of abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n While advocating for domestic violence funding before commissioners court last month, Narayan said 47 people in Harris County were killed by an intimate partner in 2024, a 34 percent increase in domestic violence deaths over the previous year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI have seen how difficult it can be for someone to leave an abusive situation, not because they don\u2019t want to leave but because the practical barriers can feel impossible,\u201d Narayan says. \u201cA hotel room, rent deposit, transportation or childcare can be the difference between remaining in danger and getting a family to safety. These are not charitable extras. They are the basic infrastructure people need to live safely and with dignity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n But the money for those services has to come from somewhere, and the new stipulations on federal grants mean that the nonprofits have to rely more heavily on state and local funding.\u00a0<\/p>\n The national nonprofit Alliance for Immigrant Survivors<\/a> reported last year that 75 percent of 170 advocates they surveyed across the country said the immigrants they serve fear they\u2019ll face arrest or deportation if they contact authorities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Tahirih Justice Center, another national nonprofit that provides support to Harris County immigrants, issued a statement<\/a> in June 2025 expressing concern about a Houston Chronicle report<\/a> that HPD contacted ICE after an immigrant victim of domestic violence called 911 for help in an emergency.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat survivors need in these moments is safety, care, and compassion. Instead, the worst nightmare of every immigrant survivor became a reality. The fact is, when local law enforcement cooperates with and engages in immigration enforcement, it means that immigrant survivors do not feel safe calling 911 in an emergency, reporting crime to the police, or going to court as a victim or witness of a crime,\u201d the statement reads. \u00a0<\/p>\n Katharina Dechert, Tahirih\u2019s Houston-based policy and advocacy manager, told the Houston Press last week that she is certain fewer victims are coming forward due to immigration concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMany of [our clients] are afraid to call the police when something happens and in many cases have chosen not to make a report with law enforcement due to fear that doing so will lead to their detention or deportation,\u201d she said in an email. \u201cThis leaves survivors vulnerable to further abuse and exploitation and makes all of us in Houston less safe. Our team is responding to many more questions and concerns from our clients and survivors in the community about fears of immigration enforcement at court and other government offices.\u201d<\/p>\n Texas sheriff\u2019s departments are required by state law to enter into cooperative agreements<\/a> with ICE for immigration enforcement, although there are different tiers of participation. Immigration experts have told the Press that out of all the Harris County residents who are detained by ICE, most come from the county jail after they\u2019ve been arrested for a crime unrelated to their immigration status.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Houston Police Department has been heavily criticized for collaborating with federal immigration authorities. HPD Chief Noe Diaz mandated<\/a> in March that officers stop handing over undocumented immigrants to ICE when they encounter them on traffic stops.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shortly thereafter, a trio of city council members led by Alejandra Salinas offered an ordinance that would limit HPD\u2019s interaction with ICE but the policy was watered down after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to withdraw $114 million in public safety grant funds just before the FIFA World Cup came to town.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Sean-Teare.png\")
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announces a new program for domestic violence survivors so they can meet with advocates \u201cwhere they are\u201d rather than having to go to the courthouse. Credit: Harris County Attorney’s Office<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ICE-at-airport.png\")
ICE agents were stationed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in March. Credit: April Towery<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Swati-Narayan.png\")
Swati Narayan advocates for domestic violence funding at a September 8 meeting of the Harris County Commissioners Court. Credit: Screenshot<\/p>\n