Henry* is a U.S. citizen and active-duty Marine; his mom, Josefina* was undocumented. She has been in the U.S. for 21 years and raised Henry and his brothers and sisters as a single mom. Over the years, she had visited two other immigration attorneys and received little help from both. They told her there was …
From undocumented to documented, all thanks to a Marine Read More »
“I firmly believe that everyone deserves a chance to be free and be welcomed to this country. After all, many of us are immigrants or descendants of immigrants too.” For seven years, Rose McGruddy has volunteered at Just Neighbors both independently and through the Ignatian Volunteer Corp. She first found us at an immigration-related volunteer …
“Beth is not only a volunteer attorney at Just Neighbors, she is a superwoman,” says Cristina Sproul, Just Neighbors staff attorney. Beth Hamilton has been that superwoman, disguised as a volunteer attorney at Just Neighbors for over five years, providing casework and going above and beyond to help clients. She is such an integral part …
Just Neighbors condemns the deplorable treatment of Haitians seeking safety here in the U.S.: On May 22, 2021, the U.S. government redesignated Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) due to the political crises and the devastation still wrought by the Haitian earthquake 11 years ago. Announcing the TPS designation, DHS Secretary Mayorkas noted: “Haiti is …
Statement on Treatment of Haitians at the U.S. Border Read More »
Marakira came to the United States in January 1990 from Guatemala to escape the threats of violence that she and her family were experiencing. As a single mother of three children, Marakira wanted to provide a better life for her family. She has now been in the U.S. for the last 31 years, spending most …
Nancy Gonzalez began volunteering with Just Neighbors in December 2019. She heard about Just Neighbors through the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia and thought volunteering would be a great way to practice her professional English skills. Originally from Venezuela, Nancy came to the United States in 2016 and has been enthusiastically learning English since then. …
Estela*, originally from El Salvador, came to the last Just Neighbors rural program clinic seeking legal assistance to see if she qualified for any immigration status. In the past, she had met with a friend of her sibling who had filled out some immigration paperwork for her. Because she did not read or write, she …
Dear Neighbors, As we ended 2020, we looked to 2021 with hope. Hope that the vaccine will speed the end of the pandemic and a return to “normal.” Hope that a new administration will begin to reverse the policies that have been so damaging to immigrants and refugees. Hope that the divisiveness of the last …
Written by Staff Attorney, Eva Marie Carney Last week I accompanied one of our long time clients to her naturalization interview. She passed the interview and then we excitedly discussed with the USCIS officer the possibility of her taking her citizenship oath soon so she could register to vote. The officer left us to check …
Written by Staff Attorney, Jennifer Healey Danny* fled Honduras when he was just 6 years old, but he doesn’t know why. He doesn’t know that powerful narco traffickers murdered his father and then came after him, threatening to do the same. He doesn’t know that returning to his country means returning to a death sentence. …