Gerrard Kaonga
An immigrant from El Salvador who has lived in Houston, Texas for over seven years has spoken out and said she may not report abuse in the future due to how it was handled by authorities.
The woman from El Salvador, who has not been named, spoke to the Houston Chronicle about what happened when she reported the abuse of her ex-husband, who has reportedly threatened to kill her.
According to the outlet, a protective order against him was issued in 2024 because of the abuse but in April 2025, he accosted his ex-wife while she was shopping.
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The mother-of-three called the Houston police department to report the incident and officers spoke to her for around 40 minutes outside of her home.
However, most shockingly, the next day an officer called her to tell her that they had called ICE on her due to their being an active warrant. The officer reportedly advised her not to make a report in person or risk being detained.
The outlet added that the woman had a removal order stemming from the denial of her asylum claim. While her immigration status now isn’t currently clear, she reportedly arrived in the US in 2018 after she and her-then husband had their lives threatened by gang members if they did not leave El Salvador.
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The woman told the outlet: “If he were to hurt me again, I don't think I could report it because that's where my story would end."
A Houston Police department spokesperson has addressed the incident and issued a statement to the outlet insisting that the officers were following protocol.
They noted that they did also offer the woman victim support.
The spokesperson said: “An officer responding to an assault call conducted a routine criminal history check on the reportee and discovered she had an active ICE warrant.
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“As with any law enforcement warrant, the officer is required to notify the appropriate agency. The officer continued to assist the reportee professionally, providing her with victim support resources and maintaining a high level of service.”
The deputy director at the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, Amy Smith, has warned that incidents like these could result in a serious knock on effect.
Speaking to the outlet, she said those who fear being arrested for their immigration status after reporting abusive relationships are more likely to stay with their abusers.
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She added: “Anecdotally, we know there's a huge fear in the immigrant community about reporting any type of incident to law enforcement because of the fear of being deported.”
UNILAD has contacted the Houston Police Department for comment.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247