Center for Victims of Torture

02/26/2026

“The courts have ruled that sending people to unsafe third countries is illegal; surely it is illegal to release people to unsafe conditions inside the United States as well,” said Yumna Rizvi, CVT senior policy analyst, as reports emerge of the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a Rohingya refugee who spoke no English and was nearly blind, after he was abandoned by Customs and Border Patrol upon release from custody. As a federal judge has just ruled transfer to third countries unconstitutional, it is time for accountability for these harms to immigrants.
Read the statement here: https://www.cvt.org/statements/treatment-of-immigrants-after-detention-is-despicable-even-deadly/

02/25/2026

“It’s like there is this never-ending siege of tactics to deny New Americans due process and to violate human rights,” writes Alison Beckman, senior clinician for external relations, in a new article. Ally comments on the surge of ICE and anti-immigration policies in the U.S., connecting the dots between the regimes our clients fled, the right to seek asylum and the conditions today in Minnesota under the ICE siege. “The assault is not over and no one is going to be safe until is ended,” she writes.

When people hear our name, the Center for Victims of Torture, they have a variety of responses: some react with dread or fear, some with concern about victims, some want to learn how they can help, some don’t want to hear about it at all.

02/25/2026

A huge thank you to RefuSHE for sharing so much with our team during their visit to your campus. We are inspired by your important work and all you do for refugee girls and young women. Thank you so much for your kindness, your vision, and all your hospitality.

02/23/2026

Two part-time jobs open! CVT seeks one program manager for our clinic in Clarkston, GA and another in St. Cloud, MN. You’ll oversee clinical and administrative operations and provide high-quality rehabilitation services to survivors of torture and war trauma. 20 hours/week, 40% remote work. Read details and apply here: https://jobs.dayforcehcm.com/en-US/cvt/CANDIDATEPORTAL

02/20/2026

ICE's unprecedented operation in Minnesota may be shifting tactics, but they are still harming CVT's clients. For months we have been accompanying every client to their regularly scheduled ISAP (Intensive Supervision Appearance Program) appointments with ICE agents so they would not have to face the fear of being detained (despite being lawfully present in the US). Now, an armed guard forced us to wait outside while our client goes in alone. We are still doing everything we can to support survivors of torture who fled these dehumanizing and violent tactics in their home countries.

02/20/2026

We’re hiring a Senior Director of Global Clinical Services to serve as CVT’s definitive authority on clinical approaches to trauma rehabilitation. Provide vision, strategic leadership and clinical oversight across all global clinical programs, while representing CVT externally and advancing the organization’s credibility as a global leader in torture and trauma treatment. Ph.D. required. Fully remote in Iraq, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Uganda or U.S.
Click for details and to apply: https://dayforcehcm.com/CandidatePortal/en-US/cvt

02/18/2026

“Our clients are facing a brutal reality: Life in the United States is now like the life they fled.” Sara Nelson, CVT program manager, writes about what clients have faced in Minnesota as ICE agents have swarmed the region and detained six clients, all of whom are lawfully present in the U.S. Click to read more:

Imagine having to flee from your home in order to survive. Imagine what it would take for you to leave everything and everyone you love behind.

02/17/2026

CVT is proud to participate in this important conversation about human rights in Minnesota. Thank you to Human Rights First.

Thank you to the for meeting with us and over 70 other Minnesota groups & advocates who are on the frontlines defending the human rights of all people in the state. We shared urgent concerns about:
➡️ Human rights violations
➡️ Attacks on free expression
➡️ Due process failures

02/16/2026

“They are people who had been escaping from horrible situations in their countries and now find themselves here with something similar," said Dr. Florencia Montal, CVT senior evaluator & researcher, to La Nacion about CVT clients who have been deeply impacted by Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota and even taken by ICE.

Tras más de dos meses de redadas, protestas y detenciones masivas, la retirada de los agentes no alcanza para restablecer la vida cotidiana ni disipar el temor en las comunidades afectadas

02/13/2026

Refugees everywhere deserve to feel safe, seen, and supported. This Valentine’s Day season we’re sharing our love for refugees with 🩷

Repost to share your heart with refugees using the hashtag and leave a message of love in the comments. Together we can show the world that love is stronger than hate.

02/13/2026

GOOD NEWS! One of CVT’s Minnesota-based clients has been released from ICE custody after 33 days in a detention facility. She said, “In the darkest moments, your compassion shown bright, reminding me I’m not alone.”

02/11/2026

“Sharing my story helped me release pain I had carried for years,” said Beatrice Ladu, a survivor of LRA war in Northern Uganda, to Patrick Uma in this article about CVT's new report on survivor-defined justice for mothers and children born of war. Report co-author Joel Odokonyero, CVT transitional justice specialist, said, “This work centers survivor voices. We wanted to understand what justice means to them, not what outsiders assume it should be.”

Former survivors of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebellion have shared powerful personal accounts in a newly released book documenting their long struggle for justice, healing, and social acceptance in post-war Northern Uganda. The book, titled “Repairing the Wrongs in Northern Uganda: Survi...