Just Neighbors conducts two community clinics each month, meeting with 4-10 new clients each time with the help of many volunteers.  The following four vignettes represent intakes that took place at our October clinics.  They demonstrate the breadth of cases we get, the unpredictable nature of the cases, and the reliance we have on volunteers to complete the intakes.

Sometimes It's Better to Wait

Based on information from the telephone intake that could not possibly cover a complicated situation, we had anticipated not being able to provide an immigration benefit to the young woman from Liberia; but we were pleasantly surprised!  Now in her early twenties, she had entered the United States as a teenager and as an asylee.  Her mother had escaped Liberia (then at war) to find refuge in the United States.  She applied for derivative status for her four children and eventually was able to pay the travel costs for each to join her here.  Normally, an asylee applies for a green card after residing in this country for a year, and all is well.  In this case, our client applied for her green card several years after her arrival.   And then her mother, who had been here much longer, applied to naturalize and become a United States citizen.  Unfortunately, the mother's case was approved and she was sworn in as a U. S. citizen BEFORE our client's application for a green card was adjudicated.  Why is that unfortunate?  Because once an asylee naturalizes, she is no longer an asylee.  So our client lost her status and her application for a green card was denied.  Because the client is from Liberia, which now has a democratically elected President and is a fairly stable country, she thought she could no longer stay in the United States.  We will be able to help this client because Immigration understands that the situation doesn't make sense; Immigration will permit our client to file her own asylum application.  This case illustrates why we tell our asylee and refugee families: "please don't let anybody naturalize until EVERYBODY has a green card!"

Unexpected Hope

We were anticipating two identical cases: men who had entered the United States without papers, now married to U.S. citizens and fathers to U.S. citizen children.  In both cases the wives had submitted visa applications for the husbands and wanted to know when the men would receive work permits.  We had the unpleasant task of reviewing their information and telling them that there was nothing that could be done to help them.  The husbands would not be eligible for any immigration benefit because they had crossed the border without papers.  Although all went as expected with the first case, the second case provided a surprise.  The husband has been in the United States so long that his first wife (also a U.S. citizen) filed an application for a visa for him before the magic cut-off date of April 30, 2001!  This is good news!! It means that once we get the paperwork that supports an early filing date, the present wife can file for the husband.  He will be able to use an old law that permitted spouses of U.S. citizens to obtain Immigration benefits if they pay a $1,000 penalty.  We have requested copies of their files through the Freedom of Information Act, and the couple has said they will start saving. 

We are thrilled to announce the hire of our newest staff attorney, Sarah Milad.  Just Neighbors was fortunate to receive applications from many qualified candidates, and Sarah stood out.  She has volunteered and worked with those in need throughout her life.  Most recently she comes from an organization that conducts immigration legal services at sites around the country called Justice For Our Neighbors, which is also affiliated with the United Methodist Church.  She is fluent in Arabic and received her law degree from American University's Washington College of Law.