JFON Network Update
JFON NY Opens Clinic in Yonkers
On Saturday, October 18th, after months of conversation and planning, JFON NY opened its fourth clinic at South Presbyterian Church in Yonkers, NY. Approximately 15 volunteers gathered for training and then worked with JFON national staff and Regional Attorney TJ Mills to serve their first 8 clients. This clinic is the culmination of two-years planning and dreaming by Rev. Reggie Bragga who first learned of JFON when he was the pastor of a Presbyterian church in mid-town Manhattan. With the inclusion of this clinic, the NY region – which is now 50% Methodist and 50% Presbyterian – is a great example of how JFON can work inter-denominationally.
JFON Iowa Welcomes Two New Regional Attorneys
Over the summer, JFON Iowa hired two new Regional Attorneys to serve their clinics in Cedar Rapids, Columbus Junction, Des Moines and Sioux City.
Trina M. Scott-Zuor
Trina, who is also a Church and Community Worker, is the new JFON Regional Attorney for Western Iowa and will be serving the clinics in Des Moines and Sioux City. Trina is a former second grade teacher who taught in a diverse community in Chamblee, Georgia. As a teacher Trina was impacted by the many immigration issues that challenged her students and their parents. The experience motivated her to attend law school with the certainty that she wanted to practice Immigration Law.
Says Trina, "I am so excited to be working with JFON because each day I have an opportunity to serve the immigrant community by providing the legal assistance that is so desperately needed."
Gary Walters
Gary is the new JFON Regional Attorney for Eastern Iowa and will be serving the clinics in Cedar Rapids and Columbus Junction. After receiving a BA in Mediterranean Archaeology, Gary volunteered with the Peace Corps in Togo (West Africa) where he worked for six months in a village with the local health clinic to help with community health issues including HIV/AIDS and malaria prevention.
Upon returning to the US, Gary enrolled at Creighton University School of Law to be better equipped to be an agent of change. While in law school, Gary volunteered and interned with JFON Nebraska in Omaha. He enjoyed working with the JFON clients, staff, other volunteers, and community and after graduating in May 2008 he applied to join the staff full time. Immigration is an issue that is near to Gary’s heart because his mother is a Mexican immigrant.
Congratulations to Gary on successfully completing his first JFON case! The case involved a client who had been married to a US Citizen for more than a year before her case was considered. Thanks to Gary’s work – with help from Panravee and Trina – her Adjustment of Status was granted at her USCIS interview.
JFON Arkansas Position Posting
JFON Arkansas is in the process of recruiting a full-time attorney to serve the region with clinics in Dover, Little Rock and Monticello. Applicants must serve as a Church and Community Worker, a missionary position with the General Board. Interested parties may contact Steve Copley, Director of JFON Arkansas at (501) 626-9220, or arjfon@aol.com.
Seeing Immigration Through Biblical Spectacles
“My bottom line appeal to you, who read this letter, is this: We Christians must look at issues facing America differently than does the rest of society. We should not be motivated primarily by partisan rhetoric, economic expediency, or ingrained voting preferences. Rather, we Christians are to look at the world through the spectacles that God has provided for us –- the lenses of biblical thinking. Our citizenship in heaven ought to be more important to us than any earthly nationality. And on any specific issue, the track we take ought to correspond with our Lord’s heart revealed in the Bible.” Read entire article by Rich Nathan.
Immigration: Data Matters
Do you want to know how many new immigrants arrived each year? Are you interested in data about foreign-born residents and citizens based on geography or socio-demographic characteristics? How about how many children live in an immigrant household? Or, the education and income levels of foreign-born? What about health and health care coverage? Or even global migration trends, migration in Canada, or remittances (immigrants sending money back to their home country)?
The Migration Policy Institute and the Population Reference Bureau released a pocket guide in an effort to point users to the best and most accessible data on immigration.
Supreme Court to Hear Identity Theft Case
Many of those arrested in recent workplace raids (particularly those in Postville, IA) were charged and processed through criminal actions with questionable due process on the part of the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
An issue that has raised concerns in the legal community is the government’s attempt to convict immigrants of “identity theft” by claiming that they had bought fraudulent documents and used them to obtain work. In most cases, the immigrants were told they needed the documents in order to work and did not understand that the documents belonged to a real person, let alone that they are committing a crime.
The Supreme Court is addressing the matter in U.S. v. Flores-Figueroa, 274 Fed. Appx. 501, No. 07-2871 (8th Cir. April 23, 2008) (per curiam), cert. granted sub nom. Flores-Figueroa v. U.S., No. 08-108, 2008 U.S. LEXIS 7827 (U.S. Oct. 20, 2008). Read more about the underlying legal theory.
Our Work
From JFON Michigan
Pedro Velez*, a native of a war-torn Central American country, had been active in a Christian movement that supported the poor and promoted social change, and as a result was targeted by the government as subversive. As a result of this persecution, the Velez family sought asylum in the U.S in 1991. In 1992, an Immigration Judge denied the Velez’s asylum application. Fearing the consequences of returning to their native country, the Velez family appealed the denial to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) with the assistance of their attorney.
While the case was pending appeal, a local church filed a religious worker petition on behalf of Pedro. The petition was approved, but the attorney took no further action to notify the BIA. The leaders of the local church and the Velez family made great efforts to contact the attorney to find out what to do next, but the attorney never returned any of their calls. As a result, the family and the church lost confidence in the attorney and sought advice from an accredited local nonprofit organization. Unfortunately, the organization did not have an attorney on staff and the family was given poor advice. Based upon the advice, the Velez family applied for permanent residence while their asylum case continued to be on appeal to the BIA.
In the meanwhile, after eight years, the BIA decided to deny the family's appeal on their asylum case. In keeping with BIA policy, notice was sent solely to the attorney of record (who was not responding to inquiries from the Velez family) and they were never informed of the denial and the resulting removal order. Shortly after sending in their applications for permanent residence, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrived at their place of residence late one evening. That night, they arrested Pedro and ordered his wife and daughter to report to Detroit a few days later for supervision.
The Velez family was referred to JFON West Michigan. Based on the negligence of their previous attorney and the erroneous advice they received from the non-profit organization, JFON Attorney Susan Reed, filed a motion to reopen the Velez case before the BIA and rescind their removal order. The BIA reopened the case, rescinded the deportation order, and returned the case to the Immigration Judge. Upon further reflection, ICE agreed that the Velez family was eligible for permanent residence and the court case was closed.
The Velez family has just been approved for Lawful Permanent Residence. Their church family is thrilled and they’ve committed to support JFON West Michigan in order to help the next family in need.
* not their real name
