19 As a young adult, “Elena” emigrated from Bolivia to the United States on her own so she could earn money to help her impoverished family and pay for her brother’s schooling. Although she began a relationship with a man who offered companionship, he quickly became physically and emotion- ally abusive. Elena kept the abuse to herself for more than two years, fearful of being deported if she went to the authorities because she had entered the country without documentation. When she finally gathered the courage to leave her boyfriend, he stalked and kidnapped her when she was leaving her apartment one night, driving her around in a frenzied rage and repeatedly threatening to crash the car and kill both of them. Elena escaped that night and confided in her pastor, who convinced her that she needed to break her silence about the abuse. Elena filed a police complaint and sought a protective order, and, ultimately, found her way to the Tahirih Justice Center. The center helps immigrant women and girls who are attempting to escape violent situations with visas and other legal matters while also providing training and education programs for them and advocating for policy changes related to immigration and gender-based violence. Recognizing that Elena was a viable candidate for a U visa—a type of nonimmigrant visa for crime victims who have suffered significant mental or physical abuse and who cooperate with the authorities to prosecute the crimes—the center referred the case to Mintz attorney Farrah Short. Mintz’s work on Elena’s case continues the firm’s long-standing ties with Tahirih: more than two dozen Mintz attorneys, paralegals, and project analysts have worked on the center’s matters since 2005. Over many meetings, with Mintz records clerk Lorena Bonilla serving as translator, Farrah slowly gained Elena’s trust and learned the traumatic details of her story. Meanwhile, former Mintz project analysts Alice Kilpatrick, Katherine Fox, and Sam Rothbloom tracked down court documents and other paper- work and obtained statements to strengthen Elena’s applica- tion, including affidavits from police. By this time, Elena had changed her circumstances and was married with an infant son, and her pastor provided a statement about Elena’s commitment to her family and her role in her community. Farrah filed the U visa application in October 2014, but like many immigrants, Elena faced a long wait for a decision. Typically, it takes several years for US Citizenship and Immigra- tion Services to issue decisions on petitions due to the United States’ 10,000 per-year cap on U visas and the high volume of applications. This spring, after more than three years, Farrah was finally able to give Elena some good news: Elena received a “Deferred Action” determination that she qualifies for a U visa. Although Elena is now eligible to apply for work authorization and finally obtain the legal authority to be in the United States, her saga is far from over. The government’s annual U visa cap means she faces an approximately three-year waitlist before receiving her documentation. Farrah and Mintz project analyst Olivia Graham, who is also the current translator on the case, are helping Elena with this authorization process. With a second baby on the way, Elena and her family are eager to start a new chapter in their lives. “This is a woman who has endured things that no person should have to endure. Clients like Elena are so grateful and happy. It doesn’t get much better than that,” Farrah said. “When we partner with pro bono attorneys from firms like Mintz, the resources they are able to dedicate to the case are incredibly impactful. The chance of a client having a successful claim is strongly dependent on the representa- tion. In immigration matters, because of the current political atmosphere, representation is almost a must for the more vulnerable populations.” Anusce Sanai Supervising Attorney for the Greater DC Office Tahirih Justice Center An Enduring Partnership Aids Immigrant Survivors