2016-ILCM-Annual-Rep
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2O16ANNUAL REPORT REPRESENTING IMMIGRANTS | EDUCATING COMMUNITIES | ADVOCATING FOR CHANGE 2016 ANNUAL REPORT LETTER FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RISING TO THE CHALLENGE This election year of 2016 was a tough year for immigrants and 2016 Board of Directors refugees and for us. Campaign rhetoric descended into anti-immigrant hate speech. Mario Hernandez, Board President Outright lies about immigrants and immigration multiplied on Enrique R. Vazquez, Board Vice President social media and in political discourse. The challenges before us DeAnne Hilgers, Board Secretary included responding to this hateful and deceptive rhetoric, as well as continuing to grow our capacity to represent immigrants and Grant Ostler, Board Treasurer refugees, to educate all of our communities about immigration, Tinzing Artmann and to advocate for more just immigration laws. Sharon Jacks, Founding Board Memeber Standing with immigrants — especially young immigrants and DREAMers — we met the challenge. We fought back against hate Thomas Larson by speaking truth. We represented Deferred Action for Childhood William Mahlum, Founding Board Member Arrivals (DACA) recipients, reunited refugees with their families, Marta Pereira and helped immigrants become proud new U.S. citizens. We were blessed to share their stories and to see first-hand the rich talents Sandra Rathod and gifts that immigrants bring to this country. Rodolfo (Rudy) Rodriguez We can share only a few of their stories in this annual report. Irma Marquez Trapero If you’d like to hear more from us, please check out our website Jote Taddese and our Facebook page, and subscribe to Action Alerts. Now, more than ever, we need you to stand strong with us and with Adam Yang Minnesota’s immigrant and refugee communities. With gratitude, John Keller Executive Director 2 2016 Annual Report Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota 2016 ANNUAL REPORT WHO WE ARE LETTER FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OUR MISSION: The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota enhances opportunities for immigrants and refugees through legal representation for low- income individuals, and through education and advocacy with diverse communities. OUR SERVICES Legal Services The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) provided immigration legal services in 4,113 unique cases in 2016, impacting an estimated 12,339 individuals. Education ILCM provided in-person immigration expertise in over 248 information sessions and presentations reaching 7,705 individuals, in 35 counties across the state. Advocacy ILCM worked for immigrants’ and refugees’ access to healthcare, drivers’ licenses, education, and fair-wage employment through testimonies, coalition-building, and impact litigation. NOTE: Throughout this report, we have changed the names of clients when telling their stories. While the stories are real, and while clients have agreed to let us use their stories, we choose to protect their privacy by not using their real names. 2016 Annual Report Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota 3 OUR WORK The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota is unique among nonprofit immigration legal service providers because of the breadth of immigration legal services we provide, our capacity to represent clients statewide, and our ability to work with clients of all nationalities regardless of their legal status. We served clients with legal advice, brief legal service, and full legal representation in cases including: • Deportation defense for undocumented immigrants picked up by ICE agents; • Asylum for people persecuted for their beliefs and gender; • Legal status through DACA for young DREAMers; • Victims of domestic violence and sexual assault obtaining U-visas and Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) protection; and • Legal permanent residents becoming citizens to fully participate in the American dream. LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN 56% ASIA 22% AFRICA 19% NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE & OCEANIA 3% Staff provided legal services in 4,113 cases, impacting approximately 12,339 immigrants from 118 countries. 4 2016 Annual Report Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota LEGAL SERVICES: DACA At the age of 14, “Isela” came to the United States from El Salvador as an unaccompanied minor. She was caught as she entered, and U.S. immigration authorities issued an order for removal. Her parents are in the United States legally — had Isela had proper legal representation and been able to follow through with the process, she would likely have been able to secure a more permanent status. Instead, Isela moved from place to place, living in fear and picking up odd jobs just to survive. Eventually Isela met someone, fell in love, had three children and became a stay-at-home mom. But she “DACA has had a positive impact on my wanted more: she wanted to go back to school, learn English, get her life. Before, I didn’t make enough money and GED, and find a way to stay legally in the United States with her U.S. was worried about how I would provide for citizen children. my family. Thanks to DACA, I was able to Isela sought help from ILCM in Worthington. Although she obtain my GED. After that, I took a nursing LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN 56% is now in her early 30s, she qualified for DACA because she had assistant course and a trained medication returned to school to learn English and get her GED. aide course. I passed both and found out Under DACA, people who came to the United States as children I enjoy helping people. As a result, I took and meet specific criteria may request consideration of deferred another course and I am now an Emergency Medical Technician. I will be working in ASIA 22% action for a period of two years, subject to renewal. They are also eligible for work authorization. the ambulances saving lives and that has inspired me to achieve more. My next goal With ILCM’s help, Isela applied for and got the protection of is to be a paramedic or something else in the DACA. Instead of living in daily fear of deportation, she now attends medical field. Without DACA, this would school and has a work permit. AFRICA 19% have been impossible.” DACA representation continued to be an important part of ILCM’s work in 2016 — helping new DACA applicants, assisting “DACA gave me the tools to allow me to in renewal applications, and winning important MNCare eligibility continue my education. It has also allowed for DACA recipients. Some of the young people we helped to gain NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE & OCEANIA 3% me to contribute with my family. DACA DACA told us what it meant to them: has provided me hope that even though I’m from a minority, a higher education is still “It’s amazing how DACA changed my life. I can finally breathe something I can acquire. To me it’s the proof without worrying of leaving my three children without a parent that the United States of America is one of because of fear of deportation one day. I was able to get a job and open the countries that allows immigrants to have my own credit card. I’m so thankful for the people who help me in an opportunity to become successful and getting everything together at Immigrant Law Center.” improve our way of life.” 2016 Annual Report Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota 5 LEGAL SERVICES: VAWA “Maria” was only four years old when she came with her parents from Mexico to work the sugar beet and potato fields. The family settled in Crookston, where Maria met and married a U.S. citizen. She started the process of becoming a permanent resident, but her husband was abusive and she was afraid and unable to complete the process. As violence in the home escalated, she and their three U.S. citizen children left her husband. He threatened her, telling her she would never work again, she had no legal status, and he was going to take her children. Maria was desperate, penniless and couldn’t afford a private attorney. In 2016, she sought the help of Martha Castañon at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota’s Moorhead office Martha told Maria that under VAWA, battered immigrants can petition for legal status in the United States without relying on abusive U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident spouses to sponsor their Adjustment of Status applications. Martha started the paperwork and helped Maria secure employment authorization so she is able to work while she completes the process. Now Maria is very involved in her community, volunteering for Head Start, her children’s school, and her church. Maria should receive permanent residence status soon and plans to apply for citizenship as soon as she is eligible. Martha Castañon works in ILCM’s Moorhead office, and does “circuit-riding” ILCM’s New Beginnings Project assists battered immigrants to meet and help immigrants across the and their children to obtain legal status through cooperation with northwestern part of the state. law enforcement, thereby gaining the independence needed to escape a cycle of violence. Victims receive priority intake at ILCM, and are immediately provided with safety planning services and referrals. ILCM then assists many of these vulnerable immigrants and their families in applying for legal status. 6 2016 Annual Report Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota LEGAL SERVICES: NATURALIZATION M. Graciela Gonzalez, one of ILCM’s dedicated pro bono attorneys, came to the United States from Argentina, raised a family here, and became a U.S. citizen and a lawyer. In her volunteer work with ILCM, she helps other immigrants become citizens. She also volunteers with the Legal Rights Center, where she represents indigent criminal defendants. Naturalization, the legal process of becoming a U.S. citizen, is a lengthy, expensive, and complicated process. Thanks in large part to our many wonderful pro bono attorneys, ILCM helps hundreds of immigrants each year to become U.S. citizens, able to participate fully in the life of the country they love.