Dear Friends,
 
Although the focus of Just Neighbors’ work is to provide immigration legal services to low-income immigrants, our clients sometimes have other challenges that are not directly related to immigration law but that intersect and can make life difficult for them.  An example that we have encountered regularly this year is the difficulty many of our clients face in obtaining a driver’s license through the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).  Our client story this month illustrates how our role as immigration attorneys for our clients sometimes enables us to serve them in other pressing matters.
Client Story 

Siti, a refugee from Sierra Leone, came to Just Neighbors for help in applying for his green card.  He already had legal status in the U.S., but a green card has many advantages including enabling him to eventually apply for citizenship.  When our staff attorney Linda Johnson met with Siti, she learned that he had been told by various Virginia DMV offices that he could not obtain a driver’s license even though he was eligible.  Driving without a license is a criminal offense so having a license is important for immigrants. 
 

Fortunately for Siti, Linda had experience with this issue.  In July, staff of Just Neighbors met with the Commissioner of the DMV for Virginia to address problems some clients had in obtaining driver’s licenses.  For example, some clients with asylee status had been advised by DMV staff to go to their embassy to renew their Passport.  It can be detrimental for asylees to contact their embassy as their status in the U.S. is grounded upon their fear of their home country.  The Commissioner was very responsive to our concerns and suggested a larger meeting with service providers in Northern Virginia and DMV leaders.
 
In September, Just Neighbors organized the meeting with Tahirih Justice Center, Boat People SOS, Center for Multicultural Human Services, Hogar Hispano, Legal Services of Northern Virginia and others to explain to DMV officials the various difficulties some of our immigrant clients have had in obtaining licenses.  The discussion was productive, and DMV staff were receptive to reconciling issues that our clients have.
 
In the past several months, clients like Siti have been able to get their driver’s license thanks to our new relationship with the DMV.  Our long-term goal, however, is for all eligible immigrants—including those without attorneys to advocate on their behalf—to be able to attain their driver’s licenses.  We continue to collaborate with the DMV and work through challenges to make this possible.
 
Thanks to Linda, Siti now has his driver’s license and can reliably get to work.  And, his green card application has been submitted to Immigration.

Around the Office 

We appreciate all who came to our Meet & Greet at Arlington Temple UMC on November 4th.  Over 70 community members attended, including volunteers, Board members, community leaders, and former clients.  It was an occasion for those with a common passion for serving our immigrant community to gather and share on a Fall afternoon.
 
Just Neighbors has received a grant for 2008 from the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church.  We have also received generous donations from both DLA Piper LLP and Foley & Lardner LLP, two law firms that have begun partnerships with us this year through pro bono assistance from their attorneys.  Thank you!

Volunteer of the Month 

We would like to honor UDC law student Seth Gainer as our Volunteer of the Month.  Seth was a fantastic intern with Just Neighbors throughout the summer and he has continued to volunteer during the fall semester.  Seth speaks fluent Spanish and Russian and has conducted hundreds of phone intakes, met with dozens of clients, entered innumerable database entries, attended community presentations, and more.  We are pleased to award Seth a gift certificate to Lebanese Taverna as a thank you.
 
Have a great December!
 
Rob Rutland-Brown
Executive Director