First Monday

May 2008

JFON Network Update

JFON TN off to a great start

TN Training On Saturday, April 12, in Nashville, TN, after months of planning and preparation, JFON kicked off its ninth regional project! 45 volunteers gathered at Hillcrest United Methodist Church for the volunteer training session and engaged 8 clients at their inaugural clinic that afternoon.

“On Sunday morning Hillcrest was a-buzz with activity in response to the clinic; people overflowed with questions, positive responses and pride that our church was willing to take this step to reach out to our neighbors. It was awesome. I had been concerned that we might be overworking our folks to ask them to be a part of this in addition to all the other ministry activities our church is involved with but alas, there they were ready to reach out - again!” reported Kathryn Spry, who coordinates the Nashville clinic.

JFON West Michigan co-hosts Citizenship Day 2008

Natz Clinic On Saturday, April 19, American Immigration Lawyers' Association (AILA) chapters around the country sponsored Citizenship Day 2008. JFON West Michigan and the Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo's Immigration Assistance Program (IAP) co-hosted the event. Volunteers from the three organizations advised fifty-one lawful permanent residents about how to obtain citizenship. They prepared naturalization applications for forty potential applicants. Twenty-two fully complete applications were mailed to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Monday morning. It was a great day for many local immigrants to take the last step in their long journey toward citizenship. JFON MI is proud to have been a part of it.

Understanding Immigrant Detention

With the dramatic increase in immigration raids comes a dramatic rise in immigration detention. Today, the U.S. government detains nearly 300,000 immigrants a year. Although the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operates its own detention centers, the majority (more than 57%) of detained immigrants are housed at more than 300 county and city prisons as well as in private facilities nationwide where the DHS “buys” bed space for $95/day/detainee.

The Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the nation's largest private prison company has partnered with the federal government to detain close to one million undocumented people in the past five years. CCA operates a detention facility in Texas that is geared toward detaining families with children. The contract enabled CCA to make record profits last year.

The following links provide more information about advocating for immigrants held in detention centers:

Business of Detention is a short video clip about CCA’s booming business.

“San Francisco Gate” article discusses a case in which the federal government admits negligence in a detainee’s death.

Detention Watch Network is a coalition working to reform the U.S. detention and deportation system.

ACLU article about a lawsuit challenging the conditions at a Texas detention Center

“New York Times” article outlines a federal suit filed by former detainees against the Department of Homeland Security.

Immigration Advocates Network

Join a new online network and get up-to-date information about immigration. Immigration Advocates Network is a free national online network that supports legal advocates working on behalf of immigrants' rights.

Our Work

from Baltimore/Washington

Maria* is a mother of four from Oaxaca, Mexico, where she worked for the Mexican government as an interpreter for Mixtec-Spanish. Her husband physically brutalized her for years, beat their oldest son and even beat Maria's mother, resulting in several broken ribs. He arrived at Maria's office numerous times and verbally abused her. She eventually lost her job because of his violent behavior.

Maria was reduced to working more than 100 hours a week on a farm in Mexico. Without support from her husband or any other family members, survival was nearly impossible. Her oldest son left school at the age of 12 and lied about his age in order to work in the fields. During the workday, the three younger children were left unsupervised and stopped attending school.

Maria realized that something needed to change and made the decision to risk coming to the US. She wanted to provide for her children and to be near her mother and sister (her only remaining family) for emotional support. Maria applied for and was granted immigration relief under the Violence Against Women Act. Because they crossed the US border without inspections, there was a question as to whether they would be able to get green-cards.

At Maria's green-card interview, the adjudication officer was clear that this was not an easy case to win because there is a trend to punish people who cross the border illegally, even those who are escaping abuse. Atthe officer's discretion, after a second interview, Maria and her children were granted legal permanent resident status. Having believed that they would never get green cards, Maria was ecstatic! The green cards ensure that they are protected not only from deportation, but after five years, they can apply for naturalization. The green cards also enabled the two boys to apply for financial aid for their college studies.

Despite the fact that they spoke Mixtec, not the more common Spanish, all four children blossomed after arriving in the US and are now completely fluent in English and thriving academically. Maria's oldest son, a 21 year-old math major, is enrolled in community college and intends to become a Math teacher. His brother will graduate from high school this year and plans to also enroll in college. They both work part-time jobs to help support the family.

* Not her real name.