DOMINIQUE POIRIER
DIRECTOR OF LEGAL SERVICES
Friends,
Just Neighbors enters 2025 firmly rooted in the DMV area after another year of continued growth and increased assistance provided. Closing out 2024, Just Neighbors served 1,541 clients and worked on 2,446 cases! Nearly 40% of those cases helped non-citizens escape violence, and 17% reunited families. What is particularly encouraging about 2024 is that nearly half of the clients we assisted resided outside Northern Virginia, where the Just Neighbors tree was originally planted: 51% from NoVA and 48% from Rural Virginia and Maryland combined. After launching our Rural Program in 2018 and merging with a Maryland nonprofit in 2020, the work we have done to cultivate relationships and serve non-citizens in those jurisdictions is truly paying off!
Additionally, we increased the number of “non-attorney” volunteer hours in 2024 to 7,598. Many community members from throughout our footprint showed up to help at clinics, outreach events, and at our offices. A hundred thanks to all our fabulous volunteers!
The Just Neighbors “tree” continues to grow, and we added legal staff to our Rural Virginia programs and to our Removal Defense programs—both much-needed programs as we move into an era of unfettered detention and deportation. We also invested modestly in some infrastructure so that the entire legal team could “go digital,” allowing them to remotely access client files from any location where they may be meeting with clients or working on cases. Just Neighbors also provided much-needed legal advice throughout our footprint by ramping up our “Ask an Attorney” tabling sessions. Our attorneys provided 67 sessions, giving one-on-one immigration information to 693 immigrants.
To round out a spectacularly successful year, Just Neighbors added a Rural Virginia office in Winchester, and we now have three “primary” offices to serve our clients: Annandale, Virginia; Winchester, Virginia; and Wheaton, Maryland. It is a joy to watch our tree continue to spread its roots and branches and grow from a fledgling sapling in the early years to a well-established beauty.
We will be counting on those roots in 2025 as we enter another administration that—from day one—is seeking to criminalize, detain, and deport non-citizens in mass numbers. As the great Dolly Parton says, “Storms make trees take deeper roots.” One impact of the new administration is the possible loss or severe reduction of federal funding, which in 2024 accounted for nearly 25% of our budget. We have cultivated deep roots and saved up for this rainy day, but donations from faith communities, foundations, and individual donors would certainly offset some of that loss.
We hope you are delighted by our 2024 successes and steadfast in your support of our work as we all weather the storms. Thank you for your continued support
Dominique
Our Greatest Accomplishments
Just Neighbors partners with local organization to hold ‘Ask an Attorney” sessions where immigrants can ask an attorney their individual questions and get the information, resources and referrals. 693 Immigrants asked their immigration questions. Just Neighbors launched the Immigration Court Helpdesk in 2024, where immigrants can get information and orientation about their court hearing.
Just Neighbors expanded the Children’s Program in 2024, which allowed us to help more vulnerable immigrant children than any other year. With two new Legal Fellows, an additional attorney in the rural program and a case worker, we helped 360 children and youth.
Highlighting the gifts and the strengths of immigrants, the Just Neighbors community advocated for immigrants’ rights on the local, state, and federal level to make the communities we live in (and beyond) more equitable and just for all, no matter their immigration status.
Just Neighbors has 5 medical legal partnerships with community health clinics throughout the region, offering immigration services at medical clinics. By partnering with clinics that serve the uninsured, Just Neighbors helps address a social determinant of health - even helping some discover a pathway to status that they believed didn’t exist for them.
The Immigrants We Serve and Their Stories
In 2024, over 2300 immigrant families asked for our assistance - Of those, we were only able to provide immigration legal services to 15% of the people who need it. Each person and their family has a unique immigration journey, and we are proud to have assisted them along the way.
Top 10 Countries
of Origin
El Salvador
Honduras
Mexico
Guatemala
Afghanistan
Cuba
Bolivia
Peru
Cameroon
Venezuela
TYPES OF HUMANITARIAN CASES
By focusing on humanitarian cases, Just Neighbors staff attorneys and volunteers serve the community's most vulnerable immigrants. Our clients are:
- Refugees and asylees
- Survivors of domestic violence and violent crimes
- DREAMers (immigrants brought to the U.S. as children)
- Those issued Temporary Protected Status (TPS) due to armed conflict or natural disasters in their homelands
- Families seeking general advice about their status
- Trafficking victims
- Unaccompanied Minors
MARYLAND
18% live in Maryland
VIRGINIA
51% live in Northern Virginia
30% live in Rural Virginia
WASHINGTON D.C.
1% live in Washington D.C.
Success at Just Neighbors Means Success for Immigrants
Click on each photo to learn more about the stories of some of the people who took their immigration journeys with Just Neighbors in 2024.
WHAT DO JUST NEIGHBORS CLIENTS SAY?
We can spend all day telling you about Just Neighbors and how we think we're positively impacting our clients. Instead, see what they have to say about their own experiences.
I am very grateful to this organization. My life has changed so much. I am forever grateful with the staff and the organization.
My personal life has been much better because Just Neighbors supported me in everything including teaching me not to be afraid and to be able to move forward. I am very grateful for this.
Just Neighbors has the best attorneys. They are so caring and are the best at what they do. I wish I had the best words to express my gratitude to them. Thank you immensely for your unmeasurable support.
From the moment I reached out to them for assistance, I was met with professionalism, compassion, and expertise that truly set them apart. The staff were not only knowledgeable about the complexities of immigration laws and processes, but they took the time to explain everything to me in a clear and concise manner. Their dedication to providing accurate information and guidance was evident in every interaction I had with them.
We Love Our Volunteers!
Without our volunteers, Just Neighbors would not be able to serve as many immigrant families as we do every year. In fact, they helped to extend our budget by more than 35%! The incredible generosity of our team of 224 volunteers helps to answer every single request for assistance we receive to make sure every single person leaves Just Neighbors with more resources than before. Without them, we would not have the same impact. We cannot thank them enough for their time! We truly appreciate each and every one of you!
How This is Made Possible
We truly wouldn't be able to serve as many immigrants and their families without generous donors, foundations, faith communities, businesses, and government support. Thank you for your continued support!
TOTAL FUNDS RAISED IN 2024
A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR SUPPORTERS
100WomenStrong
Abell Foundation
Accotink UUC
ACACIA Center for Justice
ACT for Alexandria
Alexandria Fund for Human Services
Alexandria Rotary Foundation
AmazonSmile Foundation
Annandale UWF
Annandale Christian Community for Action, Inc (ACCA)
Arlington Community Foundation
Arlington Department of Community Planning, Housing, and Development
ATA Management
Baltimore - Washington Conference of the UMC
Baltimore - Washington Conference Hispanic Latino Ministry
Baltimore County
BASH
Braddock Street UMC
Bethany UWF
Centreville UWF
Chevy Chase United Women in Faith
City of Alexandria
Clare and Don's Beach Shack
Clifton Park Baptist Church
Commonwealth of Virginia
Community Foundation of Central Blue Ridge
Community Foundation of The Northern Shenandoah Valley
Crossroads UMC
Daniels Run Peace Church
Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center
Embrace Waynesboro Community Center
Emory UMC
Epworth UMC
Eugene & Agnes E. Meyer Foundation
Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
Fairfax Department of Human Services
Fairlington UMC
Fairlington UMM
Fairlington UWF
Faith Lutheran Church
Faith UMC
Fauquier Free Clinic
First Christian Church
Foundry United Methodist Church
Free Clinic of Culpeper
Friendship UMC
Gannett Foundation
Greater Washington Community Foundation
Herb Block Foundation
Hughes UMC
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
Immigration Law & Justice Network
INOVA Health System
Kaiser Permanente
Kathleen & Eddie Hearts of Love Fund
Kiwanis Club of Alexandria
LaCire, LLC
Leesburg Daybreak Rotary Foundation Inc
Leesburg UWF
Loudoun County
Maryland Bar Foundation
Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence
Maryland State Bar Association
Mason Hirst Foundation
Meyer Foundation
Mission Central
Montgomery County
Morrison & Foerster Foundation
Mother of Mercy Free Clinic
Mount Olivet Foundation
Mount Olivet UMC
Mount Paran Presbyterian Church
Northern Piedmont Community Foundation
NOVA District Conference of the UMC
NOVA Catholic Community
PATH Foundation
Paxton Memorial Trust (BENEFIT)
Philip L. Graham Fund
Potomac Health Foundation
Presbyterian Church USA
Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church
Rita Susswein Gottesman Fund
Rock Spring Congregational UCC
Rosendin Foundation
Sentara Cares
Severna Park UMC
Seward Group of TTR | Sotheby's
Shenandoah River District of the UMC
Shrewsbury Foundation
St. Anne's Episcopal Church
St. Barnabas & St. Susanna Coptic Orthodox Church
St. James Episcopal Church
St. John Neumann Church
St. Mark Catholic Church
St. Mary of Sorrows
STRADA Education Network
The Closet of the Greater Herndon Area
The CO3 Fund
The Kresge Foundation
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Titmus Foundation
Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Rockville
United Christian Parish of Reston
United Way of the National Capital Area
United Way of the Northern Shenandoah Valley
Valley Health
Vera Institute of Justice
Virginia Department of Justice
Virginia Department of Social Services
Virginia United Methodist Foundation
Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community
Virts Miller Foundation
West Ghost LLC
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Williamsburg United Methodist Church
Meet the Team
At the heart of Just Neighbors is a team of fourteen board members, eleven attorneys, seven administrators, two DOJ Partially Accredited Representatives, two Legal Fellows, two Program Associates, and one case manager. This team has moved mountains for countless families, changing Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia for the better one immigration case at a time. We are endlessly grateful for each person's hard work, dedication, and compassion. Thank you for being a part of Just Neighbors!
Staff
Javier Burdette
UCP (Unaccompanied Children's Program) Justice Fellow
Beth Hamilton
Immigration Attorney of Northern Virginia
Irina Khanin
Senior Attorney - Children's Program
Vanessa Sarmiento
Senior Program Associate - Removal Defense
Lorena Meruvia
Case Manager
Hannah Schaafsma
UCP (Unaccompanied Children's Program) Justice Fellow
Cristina Sproul
Managing Attorney of Northern Virginia
Dominique Poirier
Director of Legal Services
Cindy Webb
Senior DOJ Partially Accredited Representative - Rural Programs
Allison Rothschild
Immigration Attorney DC & MD
