Dear Friends,

After an August break, Just Neighbors held two community clinics in September and assisted many clients with immigration legal needs in our office.  We were also interviewed by a local television news station.  Read on to learn more: 

Client Story
“When is your anniversary?” the Immigration Officer asked our young client.  “Our anniversary?” the husband repeated, “our anniversary?  Uh...eh...uh-August.  August, I think maybe the 7th?  No, no the 12th.  August 12.”

The husband, a U.S. citizen, had filed a petition for his wife to stay in the U.S.  But the young, low-income couple had little paper evidence of a marriage – no joint accounts, no car, no joint insurance, no bills in both names, and no birth certificates of offspring.  They had lived with extended family and had no lease. 

So the Immigration Officer was assessing whether they had a good-faith marriage based on their oral responses.  When the husband missed the date of their anniversary and his wife’s birth date as well, the Immigration Officer began to question them separately.  This is one method Immigration uses to detect sham marriages – those used just to obtain immigration benefits. 

The husband and wife were very nervous during the separate interviews.  But they provided matching answers to such questions as when they last watched television together, where they ate dinner together, the color of each other’s toothbrushes, and where the extra toilet paper and clean socks were kept. 

The Immigration Officer granted the husband’s petition, and Just Neighbors continues to work on a green card for the wife.

Their first anniversary was a week after the interview, and the husband honored the occasion by remembering it – and giving his wife flowers. 

Just Neighbors in the News
On September 7th, Just Neighbors was interviewed by WJLA news in reference to a story about some allegedly fraudulent weddings amongst immigrants in Arlington.  Allison Rutland Soulen, our Director of Legal Services, discussed Just Neighbors’ role in helping eligible immigrants apply for benefits through United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS).  A portion of that interview and information about Just Neighbors aired on the local evening news that night.  Check out the video clip at: http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0906/359103.html .

A Just Neighbors Clinic
At the Just Neighbors clinic held in Floris United Methodist Church on September 16, four staff and fourteen volunteers assisted eleven clients, three of them in absentia. 

An Iranian refugee family of five came seeking help with applying for their green cards.  The father and an English-speaking daughter came, and volunteers started applications for each of the five family members.   The volunteers completed change of address forms that are required by Immigration within ten days of moving, and also entered biographic information on other needed forms.  The family is now gathering documents and obtaining a required Immunization form.  We will complete their applications at a future clinic!
 
Four new clients came, three from Africa and one from Central America.  Although two of those clients were found to be ineligible for an immigration benefit at this time, volunteers and staff attorneys worked diligently to ensure that each one understood her present situation.  A third client was an adult U.S. citizen daughter seeking to bring her mother to the United States.  We provided her with guidance on how best to do that while complying with US immigration laws.

Finally, two former clients came for assistance.  Volunteer translators were crucial for both of them.  One had had difficulty in the past understanding that he is not eligible for any immigration benefit at this time and having native-Spanish speakers work with him helped him to finally understand his situation.  For the other client, Just Neighbors had obtained papers from Immigration that indicate he is eligible for a green card; we provided him with a copy of all those papers and referred him to an agency that specializes in the type of assistance he can now apply for.  He assured us that he would follow-through on the referral because he now has hope of getting a green card.

Our volunteers for this clinic had a wide range of backgrounds and interests.  Among our fourteen volunteers, five of them were first-timers to the legal clinic.  Three of these volunteers were attorneys, including two first-time volunteers from the law firm of DLA Piper in DC.  Another couple, both of whom work in the technology field, came for the first time because they wanted to become involved in work with the immigrant community.  Five of the volunteers have helped Just Neighbors for years and are members of Floris United Methodist Church.  Two volunteers are pursuing Master’s degrees, and one is a special education teacher in Fairfax County.  This mix of volunteers with differing backgrounds, skills, and levels of experience is typical of Just Neighbors’ clinics. 

Board and Staff
Just Neighbors enthusiastically welcomes former client Bertha Moya to its Board of Directors.  Bertha, from Bolivia, has been a strong advocate for Just Neighbors since we began helping her in 2004.  As a former client, Bertha offers a unique perspective about Just Neighbors and will serve as an ambassador for the organization. Bertha, an immigrant that taught herself English in this country, works at The Home Depot.

Volunteer News
The Just Neighbors Volunteer of the Month is Carolyn Wyatt, who has been a part of our clinics at Floris United Methodist Church for many years.  Carolyn has helped countless clients by gathering information about their immigration history, assisting them with applications, and providing translation.  We appreciate her cheerful attitude and diligent work over the years, and are glad to thank her with a gift certificate to Lebanese Taverna.

Fundraising
Just Neighbors received a $5,000 grant from the Washington Forrest Foundation to support our immigration legal services.  We are excited about this funding, which is double the amount we received from the Foundation in 2005.

We also learned that we will receive $4,000 from the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church to support our work in the coming year.

Just Neighbors relies on individual donations to help us keep our doors open to low-income immigrants who cannot afford private attorneys.  Please consider making a donation today via check or online at www.justneighbors.org .

Sincerely,
Rob