Statements
Mission
Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors provides free or affordable immigration legal services, advocates for immigrant rights, and educates the public on immigration issues.
Background
Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors (TNJFON) is a part of a national network of immigration legal clinics created by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) in 1999. At present, there are 19 JFON clinics throughout the country. Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors has been providing legal representation to low income immigrants seeking humanitarian relief since April 2008, launched by Belmont and Hillcrest United Methodist Churches. Our clients qualify for relief under the Violence Against Women Act, asylum law, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, visas designed to protect survivors of trafficking and other serious crimes that have taken place in the United States, and children who have been abused, abandoned or neglected by a parent. TNJFON is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit agency.
Impact
Each year TNJFON responds to more than 1,500 calls or e-queries from individuals and families seeking immigration options. Our legal staff provide information or referrals when they are not able to schedule a free consultation with one of our legal service providers. Where a form of relief is identified, such as U-visas for victims of crime, T-visas for trafficking victims, asylum, or Special Immigrant Juvenile Status for children and teens who have been abused, neglected or abandoned, TNJFON provides extended legal representation or if capacity does not permit us to responsibly accept the case, we provide referrals.
In 2020, Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors staff opened 496 cases and closed 389. Of those new cases, 194 were "dreamers" who worked to renewer their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewals and the remaining cases include cases seeking adjustment of status (green card), abused, neglected or abandoned children in need of Special Immigrant Juvenile status, victims of crime eligible for U Visas and Violence Against Women Act relief, representing individuals from 18 countries. At the close of the year, we have a caseload of 388 active cases. We worked with more than 50 volunteers, presented immigration information to more than 4000 individuals, launched a virtual legal clinic with law students, shifted our legal services program from in-person to remote, launched a Spanish language educational program and podcast, promoted a part-time Assistant Director of Education and Outreach to a full-time staff attorney, all while continuing to serve clients safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2023, TNJFON represented 629 clients in over 1,300 cases. During that time, 224 clients received work authorization and 76 clients were granted permanent forms of relief. This unlocked their ability to continue to build a better life in Tennessee. In the first three quarters of 2024, TNJFON opened 785 new cases for 447 clients and obtained 288 immigration benefits, including 188 work permits. Legal status and work authorization is the only way for these survivors to achieve economic stability.
TNJFON annual works with 60 to 75 volunteers each year. This includes hosting an academic-year program to train Vanderbilt law students on immigration law and provides them with direct client experience. The office also educates thousands of community members on immigration each year and advocates for immigrant rights.
Needs
1. Operating support. 2. Bilingual volunteers.3. Pro bono attorneys to take on immigration cases 4. Legal volunteers (law students and paralegals) 5. Volunteers with nonprofit management experience willing to consult or take on leadership roles. 6. Community leaders willing to advocate on behalf of immigrants and refugees. 7. Congregational leaders who can introduce the work of JFON in their religious communities.
CEO Statement
Victims of gang violence, terrorism, or human trafficking arrive daily in Middle Tennessee, sometimes alone, more often with children. Victims can often qualify for some form of immigration status, but only if they know where to get help. Other immigrants are victims of crime in the US. Some come out of the shadows to report and testify against criminals, risking arrest and deportation. They can be eligible for a U-Visa, a years long, technical process. Children brought to the US by their parents formerly qualified for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Those who qualified before the DACA was shuttered must file renewals, a complicated process. And while these families and individuals have a legal right to remain, they are doomed without assistance. The US does not provided court-appointed counsel to immigrants, even those facing deportation. Only 37% of immigrants and 14% of detained immigrants go to court with lawyers on their side. Immigrants, including young children on their own, with limited English and no understanding of America's complex immigration system, are forced to present their cases without representation. They face well trained and well funded government agencies. In a study of children in immigration court, 73% who had lawyers were able to remain in the US. Only 15% of those children with no attorney are allowed to stay. Adults are 16 times more likely to get relief if they have an immigration attorney. In Nashville, demand FAR exceeds the supply for immigration help. Private immigration attorneys are pricey. Charlatans, notarios and fly-by-nights swoop in to make money off the desperate, leaving them poorer but rarely professionally represented. TnJFON provides free/reduced cost, immigration legal advice or representation. TnJFON determines, for free, whether immigrants have a reasonable legal claim. They pay NO intake or first visit fee (charged by notarios and for-profit entities), nor do they pay large fees for applications doomed to failure. Those with legitimate claims then receive expert client representation by a JFON attorney, or partnering pro bono attorney. DACA renewals are completed by trained law students, or volunteer attorneys. At TNJFON, the success rate for these vulnerable families is greater than 90%. TNJFON clients gain the freedom to work legally, and live without constant fear of deportation and family separation.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Crime & Legal - Related - Legal Services |
| Secondary Category: | Human Services - Ethnic/Immigrant Services |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors provides services to Tennessee immigrants. The majority of clients live in Nashville/Davidson County.
| TN - Davidson |
| TN |
