A chilling new account published by The Cut has reignited discussion about how US immigration policy can be manipulated by abusers to silence or control their partners. The piece, written by Moa Short and told through the testimony of a survivor identified as Lydia, exposes how fear of deportation can be used as a weapon in domestic abuse — even against victims from countries like Canada, who might not typically consider themselves at risk.
Lydia, a Canadian mother of two, married her American husband, Keith, in 2019 after a whirlwind romance that began online. Once she relocated to the United States, she says her husband became controlling and violent, isolating her from friends and family while withholding the immigration documents she needed to apply for permanent status.
