Dear Friends,
We are finding that having a full staff has perhaps made us more efficient, but not less busy. Just Neighbors held two full clinics this month and still has more immigrants calling for legal assistance than we have time or resources to serve. But with your continued support, we will keep growing to meet the need.
Client Story
For this month’s client story we’d like to share a snapshot of our Arlington Clinic on February 19th. The clinic illustrated the diversity of clients and volunteers who come together, as well as the variety of cases we see.
At the clinic, eleven volunteers-- including four volunteer attorneys-- met with nine new clients. Six clients were from Africa, one from Central America, and two from South America. Three scheduled clients did not keep their appointments, but would have widened countries represented to include Vietnam, Lebanon, and Afghanistan. (Clients are often hindered by work schedules, transportation, and weather conditions from keeping their confirmed appointments.)
Among the situations were the following:
· One volunteer assisted two refugees from Ethiopia, a brother and a sister, with paperwork needed for their green cards and for obtaining a Virginia ID.
· Two new volunteers helped a United States citizen wife complete forms to help her husband receive employment authorization and a green card.
· Two other volunteers helped a naturalized U.S. citizen with papers that would bring his wife and children to join him here.
· One client, from Ghana, applied for immigration benefits in the early 1990s; we are trying to figure out what is going on in his case.
· Volunteers assisting one client gathered information sufficient to alert the Just Neighbors staff attorney that we could help the client after all. The client is a refugee and has filed the proper documents for her husband to join her. But the U.S. embassy that is supposed to give the husband a visa is apparently confused and keeps referring the couple elsewhere. Just Neighbors is helping the embassy to understand the situation.
· Just Neighbors previously helped a disabled refugee apply for a green card. Despite many phone calls, the client had not found assistance obtaining a new prosthetic leg. So, he met with one of our volunteers who had written a manual for refugees with disabilities.
For those clients that we were not able to put on a path to immigration benefits, we explained why not. We hope that our information will help them avoid the lure of unscrupulous immigration practitioners – those who sell false hope to a vulnerable population.
News
Just Neighbors’ increase in callers who need help applying for immigration benefits over the past year may be a reflection of a nationwide trend. In a memo last month, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Emilio Gonzalez wrote:
“In July and August, we received 2.5 million applications and petitions for immigration benefits, double the normal volume. During Fiscal Year 2007, the agency received approximately 1.4 million naturalization applications. That is more than the total naturalization applications filed in Fiscal Years 2005 and 2006 combined. For the months of June and July of 2007, it represented an increase of nearly 350% compared to the same period in 2006.”
Just Neighbors is thrilled to receive its first-ever funding from the Herb Block Foundation (www.herbblock.org), whose mission is to defend freedoms guaranteed to all Americans. The Herb Block Foundation will provide $25,000 to Just Neighbors for its work in helping eligible immigrants access benefits to which they’re entitled so they can unite with their families, gain authorization to work, and escape from situations of domestic violence.
Volunteer of the Month
Stephanie Denzel is one of a handful of volunteers who attends both our clinics in Herndon and Arlington regularly. Stephanie has interviewed numerous Just Neighbors clients over the past two years and will be leaving for law school this summer. Her concern for the clients and commitment to our mission make us proud to honor her as the Volunteer of the Month.
Keep in touch!
Rob Rutland-Brown
Executive Director
