Detained after escaping her trafficker

Augusta* was detained by ICE and separated from her daughter. But her courage to share her story ultimately put her on the path to legal status — and protected others from the same harm.

Augusta*, a mother and a survivor of partner violence and human trafficking, was referred to Her Justice in the midst of her potential deportation.

When we began working with Augusta, she had already been held for close to a year in an immigration detention facility. As a teen, Augusta met her partner — a man who promised her a great life and well-paying job in the United States. But after moving to be with him, he took Augusta’s papers and tried to force her into sex work. She refused to comply. As a result, she faced daily physical and sexual aggression from her partner and hard manual labor cleaning houses — work for which she was never paid.

After years of abuse, Augusta escaped. But without status, she was picked up by ICE. While in detention, she was connected to Her Justice. With incredible strength and vulnerability, Augusta shared the story of what she endured at the hands of her former partner. And Her Justice got to work. We filed a petition for T Nonimmigrant status based on her trafficking. Augusta and Her Justice learned that her abuser was part of a trafficking ring being investigated by the US government. And Augusta raised her hand to provide a firsthand account that was critical to the prosecution — so that no one else would experience what she did.

When Augusta’s petition was approved, she was finally released from detention and reunited with her daughter. Today she is living with her family in the United States — and in uncertain times like these, her legal status gives an important layer of protection.