O.C. center offers help to immigrants victimized by domestic abuse

Six years ago, Evangelina Mendez Ramirez was trapped in an abusive relationship.

Like many survivors of domestic violence, the mother of two feared what her husband might do if she contacted the authorities, but she had another reason to worry: her immigration status. When she first came to the United States from Mexico, she was living in the country illegally.

“The idea that I had — that we have — is that if we ever encounter police and you’re here illegally, they’re going to immediately deport you or take you away,” Mendez Ramirez said at a news conference last month at the Orange County Family Justice Center in Anaheim to announce a new feature aimed at helping women like her.

“But it wasn’t that case at all,” she continued. “For me, the best move that I made was to reach out to a police officer and to take that leap forward to move ahead.”

With the support of Anaheim police and the Mexican Consulate in Santa Ana, Mendez Ramirez was able to flee the abuse and put her life back together, as well as gain legal residence in the United States.

To encourage more Mexican victims of domestic abuse to come forward and seek help, the Orange County Family Justice Center started an on-site help desk run by the Mexican Consulate. It offers the same services as those available at the consulate in Santa Ana and is open Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The center, which is funded by the Anaheim Police Department, offers assistance to victims of domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse and sexual assault through a variety of services, including prevention classes and help navigating legal aid and the welfare program CalWORKS — all free.

Collaboration between the center and consulate, officials said, will streamline services and provide Mexican victims with a greater sense of ease when dealing with the police.

“Instead of going three days to three different buildings, they can do everything in the same place,” said Mario Cuevas-Zamora, the Mexican consul in Santa Ana. “They have to work, they have children and sometimes they don’t want to talk to everyone. It’s a very delicate and sensitive issue. We have to provide the best conditions to the victims so they can step forward and get some help.”

Anaheim Police Lt. James Kazakos, director of the justice center, agreed.

“What we’ve found is that if you’re a victim of domestic violence ... it was easier for them to put up with than trying to navigate the system,” Kazakos said. “A center like ours, all they have to do is come through the door, and everything is provided for them.”

It isn’t clear how many Mexican immigrants in Orange County are victims of domestic violence annually, Kazakos said. But based on his experience, he said, the majority of the 4,500 clients served at the center last year were Spanish-speaking.

Cuevas-Zamora said the consulate sees about 30 victims of domestic violence a month.

Kazakos said one of the biggest challenges he faces in serving this population is trust: “When you come in and see police officers, or a uniformed person at the front counter, a lot of people get intimidated.”

But Cuevas-Zamora said the victims are now more willing to report abuse than ever before.

One reason, he said, is that many are coming to understand what Mendez Ramirez learned six years ago: Reporting abuse won’t affect their immigration status.

“It has nothing to do with immigration status,” he said. “Regardless of your status, you can get assistance here. And as a victim of a violent crime, you can even get a visa.”

metrodesk@latimes.com

Kandil writes for Times Community News.