JFON Network Update
JFON Hires National Program Attorney
JFON welcomes back Danny Upton, who was JFON Regional Attorney for West Michigan from 2004 - 2006 and for Decatur, AL in 2003. Danny left JFON West Michigan to return home to Hazel Green, AL to help his mother care for his two young nephews. He returns to JFON as a national program attorney, helping train and supervise new JFON attorneys and providing coverage for new sites such as Nashville, TN. When he is not traveling to JFON sites, Danny will be working from his hometown in Alabama.
JFON Bids Farewell to Susan Reed, Regional Attorney for West Michigan
It is with heavy hearts that JFON bids a fond farewell to Susan. Susan, who is also a Church and Community Worker, has been the Regional Attorney for the West Michigan project since Oct. 2006. She has been vital to building a strong and thriving project in western Michigan.
In early 2009, Susan will start her new position as an immigration support attorney with the Michigan Poverty Law Program, a statewide collaboration of the University of Michigan Law School and Legal Services of South Central Michigan that provides technical support to legal aid programs and other poverty law advocates. In her new role, Susan will answer lawyer and advocate questions about immigration and immigrant rights while taking on a small “impact” caseload and leading new advocacy efforts.
In addition, Susan and her husband Christopher Letcher are expecting their first child in May 2009. Congratulations Susan and Christopher!
Sioux City Clinic Relocates to Storm Lake
The Sioux City clinic, which first opened their doors in June 1999, met for the last time on Nov. 8th. The clinic kicked off with fellowship and a meal followed by volunteers assisting clients with their Temporary Protected Status.
The Sioux City clinic has decided to relocate to Storm Lake, IA – a city about 85 miles east – to be closer to where the majority of immigrant families in Northwest Iowa live. “We’re sad to see the clinic leave Sioux City,” said Judy Wanned of the JFON National Advisory Committee, “but we know that the new location in Storm Lake will draw in more immigrants.”
Storm Lake UMC is excited to begin a JFON ministry in their church. The clinic in Storm Lake will recruit new volunteers to work alongside many of Sioux City’s dedicated volunteers who plan to continue to serve with JFON. The clinic is scheduled to open in January 2009.
JFON Iowa thanks Whitfield UMC for hosting and especially thanks the volunteers for all their help and support to make the Sioux City clinic a success. Thanks also to First United Methodist Church for giving us space to store files and for hosting our last clinic.
MI Empowers Volunteers to Share JFON
West Michigan JFON recently launched a speakers group, consisting of five veteran volunteers who will take on the responsibility of representing JFON before a variety of external bodies – including church congregations, Sunday school classes, civics groups, etc.
They received training from Susan Reed and Laura Rampersad and were guided through a model presentation with tips to tailor it to their audience. They were equipped with various material to further their understanding of the faith and policy aspects of JFON’s work. The speakers group will meet bimonthly for ongoing training and to share their experiences.
Kudos to MI for coming up with a creative way to increase their reach while engaging volunteers in a meaningful way. For more information about how to set up and train a speakers group, please contact Laura at rlrampersad@comcast.net
Ethnic Local Church Grants
Jan. 10 is the deadline to apply for an Ethnic Local Church Grant from the United Methodist General Board of Church & Society (GBCS). The grant program’s purpose is to strengthen ethnic local churches through education, advocacy or leadership training and development as they engage in social justice. The project must focus on needs identified by ethnic local churches as they address one or more chronic social problems or concerns, such as housing, employment, health care, human rights, education, the environment and racism.
The Ethnic Local Church Grant has two funding cycles; the deadlines for applications are Jan. 10 for the March cycle and Aug. 10 for the October cycle.
With the change in the U.S. Congress and Administration, immigration advocates are hoping for positive changes in immigration law and its implementation. Nine of the 13 Republican U.S. Representatives who lost their seat on November 4 were members of the Immigration Reform Caucus, which opposes legalization of undocumented immigrants. The caucus is also losing two of its leaders through retirement – Rep. Tom Tancredo and Rep. Duncan Hunter.
However, some experts predict that the government will be focused on the economic crisis and not immigration reform. Moreover, the complexity of a comprehensive reform and the lack of leading voices on the issue (with Sen. Edward Kennedy battling cancer and Sen. John McCain reversing himself during the presidential campaign) appear to point toward continued difficulty in finding consensus. Read the Wall Street Journal article, “Economic Crises Will Take Precedence Over Near-Term Immigration Overhaul.”
Still, there are many positive signs of real change. President-elect Obama has formed an “immigration policy working group” to develop an immigration reform proposal. His pick to lead the team are two scholars with record of thoughtful legal analyses. Alexander Aleinikoff is dean of the Georgetown University Law Center and Mariano-Florentino Cuellar is a professor at Stanford Law School. The creation of the working group shows that the President-elect intends to take a different approach than the current Administration.
An additional positive sign is the President-elect’s choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona is hailed as a good pick by immigration advocates. While some tout her “toughness” on enforcement (she called on the use of National Guard along the southern border), Gov. Napolitano also wrote an op-ed piece in the Washington Post denouncing the inhumane effects of current law and calling for a comprehensive reform.
In addition, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) recently indicated that immigration will be a priority for the next session of Congress. “On immigration, there's been an agreement between (President-elect Barack) Obama and (Arizona Republican Sen. John) McCain to move forward on that.”
It remains crucial – perhaps even more so than in the past few years – to contact our senators and representatives and ensure that they are aware of our views on immigration. Gov. Napolitano’s op-ed piece includes some examples and reasoning that may be helpful. Please take the time to do so whether by phone: Capitol Hill switchboard - (888) 355-3588 or by e-mail look up your congressmen/women at (http://www.senate.gov/) or (http.www.house.gov/).
Our Work
A Special Family Reunion
By Melissa Hinnen
According to Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON) attorney, TJ Mills, the most fulfilling part of his job is seeing families reunite. He recently had the privilege of going to the airport with a client, Barnabe, who was joyfully greeting his family after eight years of separation.
Barnabe was a medical assistant in war-torn Kongolo, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Because the hospital where he worked treated patients regardless of whether they were civilian, rebel or government worker, he was accused of being a government collaborator. He was arrested, interrogated, detained and beaten. His parents, three brothers and two sisters were all killed because of their ethnicity. In 2000, he fled the DRC and in 2001 arrived in the US. In the process of leaving, he was separated from his wife and five children.
After a number of appeals and with support from First United Methodist Church of Shelton, CT and friends in the community, Barnabe was granted political asylum in the US in 2005. He immediately petitioned to have his family join him. The church helped raise the money for airfare, furnished Barnabe’s home for his wife and five children, and a generous friend donated a minivan.
Meanwhile, in Zambia, the US Consulate required DNA testing to prove that the family was all related. All of them passed and were told to arrive at the US Embassy with their airline tickets to receive their visas. When they arrived, they were surprised when the Vice Consul began questioning the authenticity of the marriage certificate and the adoption certificate for one of the children. The child in question was the biological son of Barnabe’s brother who had been killed along with the child’s mother in the civil war. Barnabe and his wife adopted their two-year-old nephew in 1998.
While they had the proper paperwork and authentic adoption and marriage certificates, the Vice Consul insisted neither was legitimate and refused to issue any visas to the family. He even threatened to charge Barnabe’s wife with human trafficking and to send her children to the US without their mother.
JFON worked with a local attorney in the DRC to authenticate the adoption and marriage certificates. Mills submitted a 70-page rebuttal on behalf of his clients and the Department of Homeland Security reaffirmed the approvals and expedited the files back to the Vice Consul in Zambia. The Vice Consul apologized to the family and on November 6th, the family entered the US —reunited with an overjoyed husband and father after 8 years.
* Melissa Hinnen is the staff writer for UMCOR communications
