Tahirih Justice Center

Tahirih Justice Center is a national charitable nonprofit headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia. Its work focuses on immigrant women and girls who are escaping gender-based violence, persecution, exploitation, or other serious human-rights abuses. The organization combines direct representation with social-services case management, policy advocacy, impact litigation, and training for professionals who encounter survivors. Tahirih was established in 1997 by Layli Miller-Muro after her involvement as a law student in the landmark Matter of Kasinga asylum case. The case concerned Fauziya Kassindja, a teenager from Togo who sought protection in the United States after fleeing forced marriage and the threat of female genital mutilation or cutting. In 1996, the Board of Immigration Appeals granted Kassindja asylum, helping establish that gender-based persecution could support an asylum claim in the United States. Miller-Muro founded Tahirih after recognizing that relatively few organizations in the Washington, D.C. area provided specialized legal assistance to women seeking protection from such persecution. The organization began hiring paid staff in 1998 and subsequently broadened its scope beyond asylum representation. Its legal work has included gender-based asylum, petitions under the Violence Against Women Act, T visas for trafficking survivors, U visas for victims of qualifying crimes, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, family law, civil matters, appellate advocacy, and impact litigation. Tahirih also works with pro bono lawyers, medical professionals, and community-service providers to address the practical needs of clients whose legal problems are closely connected to housing, safety, health, employment, childcare, and financial insecurity. Public policy has been a central part of Tahirih's identity since the early 2000s. The organization has advocated for protections for trafficking and crime survivors, improved access to asylum, safeguards for women recruited through international marriage broker businesses, stronger responses to forced marriage, and restrictions on child marriage. It helped shape the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act, enacted in 2005, which requires disclosures intended to help foreign fiancées and spouses understand their legal rights and learn about relevant criminal or domestic-violence histories of sponsoring U.S. citizens. Tahirih has also supported legislation concerning refugee protection, asylum filing rules, detention, and gender-based persecution, although some proposed bills did not become law. Tahirih's Forced Marriage Initiative grew from research and advocacy documenting forced marriage in immigrant communities. Its broader child-marriage campaign contributed to legislative changes in Virginia in 2016 and Texas in 2017, narrowing exceptions that had allowed minors to marry. The organization also publishes research and explanatory reports intended for lawmakers, attorneys, advocates, and service providers. More recent work has examined the effects of asylum-deterrence policies on survivors of gender-based violence, the case for recognizing gender as an independent protected ground for asylum, and the use of guaranteed income to support immigrant survivors. The name Tahirih refers to Táhirih, a nineteenth-century Persian poet and theologian associated with the Bahá'í tradition and remembered for challenging restrictions placed on women. The organization says its work is informed by principles including equality between women and men, while operating as a nonprofit service and advocacy organization. Since its founding, Tahirih has reported responding to more than 30,000 requests for help involving abuses such as domestic violence, trafficking, torture, rape, and female genital cutting. Its present model remains centered on integrated legal and social support, national advocacy, and education aimed at improving institutional responses to immigrant survivors.

Tahirih Justice Center emerged from the legal and public impact of Matter of Kasinga, an asylum case involving Fauziya Kassindja, a young woman from Togo who fled forced marriage and the threat of female genital mutilation or cutting. Layli Miller-Muro worked on the case as a law student. The Board of Immigration Appeals granted Kassindja asylum in 1996, a decision that helped establish gender-based persecution as a basis for asylum protection in the United States. The case also drew attention to the lack of specialized legal assistance available to immigrant women fleeing violence. Miller-Muro founded Tahirih in 1997. The organization hired its first paid employees in 1998 and initially concentrated on free legal representation for women seeking asylum from gender-based persecution. In 1999, it litigated Matter of Adeniji, a case concerning the retroactive application of mandatory detention provisions under federal immigration law. During the early 2000s, Tahirih added a public-policy advocacy program and incorporated social-services case management into its client model. The organization advised the U.S. State Department during the development of legislation that became the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. That law created T and U visa mechanisms for trafficking victims and victims of certain serious crimes. Tahirih then expanded its representation of trafficking and crime survivors and worked with immigration authorities on implementation. In 2001, it launched a campaign addressing abuse and exploitation associated with international marriage brokers. In Fox v. Encounters International, litigated with Arnold & Porter, a court in 2004 recognized liability for an international marriage broker's negligent conduct that placed a woman at serious risk. Tahirih subsequently helped draft the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act, which Congress enacted in 2005 as part of the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. From 2006 through 2010, Tahirih expanded its service capacity, added family-law representation, and opened offices or satellite locations including Houston and Baltimore. It participated in litigation and policy work concerning female genital cutting and the continuing effects of past persecution. In 2008, it filed an amicus brief in Barry v. Mukasey, arguing that female genital cutting can produce permanent and continuing harm. In 2009, its report Precarious Protection examined how immigration procedures and policy gaps affected women and girls fleeing persecution. The organization then supported proposed federal legislation in 2010 concerning the asylum filing deadline and refugee protection; those proposals were not enacted. During the following decade, Tahirih opened additional offices, including in the San Francisco Bay Area and Atlanta. A 2011 national survey documented thousands of reported forced-marriage cases in immigrant communities over a two-year period. Tahirih responded by creating the Forced Marriage Initiative and a national prevention network. It also developed a campaign against child marriage. In Virginia, its advocacy contributed to legislation enacted in 2016 that limited marriage to adults, with a narrow exception for court-emancipated minors. In Texas, related legislation signed in 2017 similarly narrowed the circumstances in which minors could marry. Tahirih's 2017 report Falling Through the Cracks reviewed minimum-marriage-age rules across the United States and the District of Columbia. Tahirih continued to combine direct services with immigration and gender-violence advocacy. In 2017, it testified before a House Judiciary subcommittee about the effects of an immigration executive order on immigrant survivors. That year, it and partner organizations also identified protected information about immigrant victims in the DHS-VINE system. Following advocacy by Tahirih, ICE removed the federally protected information from the public database. More recent publications and initiatives have addressed child-marriage reform, asylum deterrence, recognition of gender as a protected asylum ground, and economic support for survivors. Its Project Empower guaranteed-income pilot provided unconditional monthly payments for six months to a small group of Tahirih clients who were survivors of domestic violence and parents. Across its history, the organization has maintained a holistic model in which legal representation, social support, professional training, and nonpartisan policy advocacy reinforce one another.

• 2017

  Texas child-marriage reform and DHS-VINE advocacy

  [1]Tahirih Justice Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Tahirih supported Texas marriage-age reform and successfully pressed for removal of protected immigrant-victim information from a public federal database.

• 2016

  Virginia child-marriage reform

  [1]Tahirih Justice Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Virginia enacted legislation supported by Tahirih that substantially limited marriage to adults and narrowly defined emancipated minors.

• 2011

  Forced Marriage Initiative launched

  [1]Tahirih Justice Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Following national research on forced marriage in immigrant communities, Tahirih launched a dedicated initiative and prevention network.

• 2005

  International Marriage Broker Regulation Act enacted

  [1]Tahirih Justice Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Congress enacted federal protections shaped by Tahirih's advocacy for immigrant fiancées and spouses recruited through international marriage broker businesses.

• 2000

  Expansion into trafficking and crime-victim protection

  [1]Tahirih Justice Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The organization advised on legislation that created T and U visa protections and expanded its representation of trafficking and crime survivors.

• 1999

  Matter of Adeniji litigation

  [1]Tahirih Justice Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Tahirih litigated a precedent-setting detention case concerning the retroactive application of mandatory immigration detention provisions.

• 1998

  First paid staff hired

  [1]Tahirih Justice Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Tahirih began building a staffed legal-services operation for women seeking asylum from gender-based persecution.

• 1997

  Tahirih Justice Center founded

  [1]Tahirih Justice Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Layli Miller-Muro established the organization after the Matter of Kasinga asylum case highlighted the need for specialized legal support for immigrant women facing gender-based persecution.

A national survivor-centered legal and advocacy organization specializing in the intersection of immigration status and gender-based violence.

• Legal services · 1997

  Immigration legal services

  Free legal representation and related assistance for immigrant women and girls seeking protection from gender-based violence or persecution. Matter areas include gender-based asylum, Violence Against Women Act petitions, T visas, U visas, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and selected appellate and impact-litigation matters.

• Social services

  Social services case management

  Case-management support connects clients with practical resources and safety-related services, including community providers and other professionals. The service is designed to complement legal representation because immigration cases often overlap with housing, health, financial, family, and personal-security needs.

• Protection and advocacy program · 2011

  Forced Marriage Initiative

  A program providing information, support, and assistance to people in the United States who face forced marriage or are fleeing it in the United States or abroad. The initiative also supports prevention work and professional awareness through a national network.

• Professional education

  Training and education

  Training for attorneys, judges, police officers, health-care professionals, and social-service providers on recognizing and responding to immigrant survivors of gender-based violence and related legal and safety issues.

• 2017DHS-VINE privacy advocacy

  United States

  Tahirih and partner organizations challenged the publication of identifying information about immigrant victims of domestic violence, trafficking, and other crimes in a federal notification database.

  Outcome. ICE removed the federally protected information from the database after the advocacy effort.

  Source
• 2014Campaign to End Child Marriage in the United States

  United States

  Tahirih worked to change state laws that allowed minors to marry under broad exceptions and that could expose children to forced marriage, trafficking, or sexual exploitation.

  Outcome. The campaign supported reforms in Virginia and Texas and produced nationwide legal analysis for advocates and lawmakers.

  Source
• 2011Forced Marriage Initiative and National Network to Prevent Forced Marriage

  United States

  Tahirih launched a dedicated response after publishing national survey findings on forced marriage in immigrant communities.

  Outcome. The initiative became a continuing source of assistance, prevention activity, and policy advocacy.

  Source
• 2001Campaign to Prevent Abuse and Exploitation through the International Marriage Broker Industry

  United States

  Tahirih advocated for safeguards against abuse involving international marriage brokers and worked with legal partners on litigation and federal legislative reform.

  Outcome. The campaign contributed to Fox v. Encounters International and to the enactment of the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act in 2005.

  Source

• 2017

  Seek removal of protected victim information from DHS-VINEStrategy

  Background

  Advocates found identifying information about immigrant victims in a public database and argued that disclosure conflicted with federal confidentiality protections.

  Action taken

  Tahirih requested immediate removal of confidential information and pressed federal immigration authorities to correct the database.

  Aftermath

  ICE removed the federally protected information identified by Tahirih and partner organizations.

  Source

• 2016

  Support Virginia limits on child marriageStrategy

  Background

  Tahirih argued that broad state-law exceptions could leave minors vulnerable to forced marriage, trafficking, and abuse.

  Action taken

  It helped draft and advocate for Virginia legislation limiting marriage to adults or narrowly defined court-emancipated minors.

  Aftermath

  The legislation was signed by Governor Terry McAuliffe and took effect on July 1, 2016.

  Source

• 2005

  Pursue federal regulation of international marriage brokersStrategy

  Background

  Tahirih identified risks faced by foreign women recruited through international marriage broker businesses, including inadequate information about sponsors and limited awareness of legal rights.

  Action taken

  The organization drafted and advocated for provisions requiring rights information and relevant criminal and domestic-violence disclosures.

  Aftermath

  The provisions became the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act, enacted as part of the reauthorized Violence Against Women Act.

  Source

• Launch a guaranteed-income pilot for immigrant survivorsStrategy

  Background

  Tahirih sought to address the economic barriers faced by survivors of domestic violence who were raising children and navigating recovery and immigration systems.

  Action taken

  Through Project Empower, the organization provided unconditional monthly cash payments for six months to a small cohort of Tahirih clients.

  Aftermath

  A report with My New Red Shoes documented participant experiences and lessons from the pilot.

  Source

• 2017

  Texas narrows child-marriage exceptions[1]Tahirih Justice Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Regulation · Campaign

  Tahirih supported Texas legislation restricting marriage to adults except for court-emancipated 16- or 17-year-olds who received the full legal rights of adulthood.

• 2017

  Tahirih challenges disclosure of immigrant-victim information in DHS-VINE[1]Tahirih Justice Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Regulation · Other

  After identifying confidential information about immigrant victims in a public federal notification database, Tahirih urged Immigration and Customs Enforcement to remove protected information. ICE subsequently removed the information cited by advocates.

• 2016

  Virginia restricts child marriage[1]Tahirih Justice Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Regulation · Campaign

  Tahirih helped draft and advocate for Virginia legislation limiting marriage largely to adults or narrowly defined emancipated minors. The law took effect on July 1, 2016.

• 2005

  Tahirih helps shape the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act[1]Tahirih Justice Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Regulation

  The organization advocated for federal regulation of international marriage broker businesses, including disclosures concerning immigrant spouses' rights and relevant criminal or domestic-violence histories.

1. 1Tahirih Justice Centeren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Tahirih Justice Center official websitetahirih.org
3. 3Launch a guaranteed-income pilot for immigrant survivorstahirih.org