Dear Friends,

As summer winds down, Just Neighbors is gearing up for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) renewals for Salvadorans.  Here’s our August update.

Client Story

“You have been so good to me.  I love you!”  These words were written by a client, Alma*, to her attorney, Pallavi, at Just Neighbors the day after Alma received her green card this past June.

Alma came to the United States from Ethiopia in 2005 and married a United States citizen.  Soon after the marriage, domestic violence set in.  (Some statistics show that 60% of immigrant women in the United States experience physical or sexual abuse). Alma fled to a shelter and sought help from the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC) in Arlington.  ECDC referred Alma to Just Neighbors, knowing she might be eligible to receive her green card through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). 

Alma came to Just Neighbors in November 2005, and we met with her extensively throughout the next 18 months.  Pallavi spent countless hours working on her case so that she would be able to gain permanent residency in the United States without dependence on her abuser. 

The day Alma’s green card arrived was very special.  “It made me so happy because if I didn’t have that paperwork, I couldn’t do anything,” says Alma.  “It makes me feel comfortable.” 

Now Alma is attending a cosmetology school so that she can work at a beauty salon in the U.S.  She talks to her parents, brother, and sister back in Ethiopia every two weeks on the phone.  However, she does not plan to return to Ethiopia to live because she says the culture is such that she would be looked down upon for her divorce, even though she was in a situation of domestic violence.  But she hopes to visit her family after she has a stable job.

TPS

Immigration has announced that Salvadorans can renew their TPS (Temporary Protected Status).  TPS is a temporary immigration status granted to eligible nationals of designated countries.  The Secretary of Homeland Security may provide TPS to aliens in the United States who are temporarily unable to safely return to their home country because of ongoing armed conflict, the temporary effects of an environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.  The current TPS designation for El Salvador began in March 2001 after earthquakes devastated much of the country. 

Once beneficiaries register for TPS, they must re-register every time the Department of Homeland Security re-designates their home country as eligible for TPS.  People who arrive in the United States after the first, initial, TPS registration period are not eligible for TPS.  If beneficiaries neglect to re-register during designated re-registration periods, they lose the TPS status and are unable to regain it. 

The Department of Homeland Security has extended TPS for El Salvador, and 225,000 TPS beneficiaries nationwide must re-register between August 21, 2007 and October 21, 2007.  There are more immigrants from El Salvador in the DC metro area than from any other country.  We are trying to meet with as many eligible Salvadorans as possible in September.  Please help us spread the word to Salvadorans with TPS and encourage them to call us at (703) 979-1240 for an appointment.  If you are willing to post our Spanish flyers announcing TPS, please contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Around the Office

We are sad to announce that Pallavi Gullo, our immigration attorney of two years, will be moving on.  She has been a wonderful attorney here, loved by her clients (like Alma) and respected by all our staff.  We are seeking to fill her position (but alas, not her shoes) as soon as possible, and the job description and application process can be found at www.justneighbors.org .

Just Neighbors will be a part of this year’s Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).  If you or anyone you know is a federal employee in the area, please keep our number (60682) in mind when setting up paycheck deductions this fall.  This is separate from our 4-digit United Way number (8574), which can be used by non-government employees.

Just Neighbors’ Executive Director Rob Rutland-Brown and Staff Attorney Linda Johnson were interviewed by Univision (WFDC) on August 29th for the 11pm news.  We discussed how legal immigrants in the community might be affected by several proposed Virginia bills, such as denying bail to illegal aliens and barring admission to Virginia public colleges for immigrant students without valid student visas.

Volunteer

We’d like to recognize Linda Cho as our Volunteer of the Month for August.  Linda was one of several volunteers in August who helped fill the void left by our three summer interns.  She was a quick leaner and was detail-oriented, and thus accomplished a lot in her four weeks here before going to work full-time.  Thank you Linda!

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

Sincerely,

Rob Rutland-Brown
Executive Director
Just Neighbors