Tennessee Justice For Our Neighbors
Programs
Budget
$20,000.00
Description
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals provides near 800,000 young people temporary relief from deportation. It has resulted in significant economic and social benefits for the US. DACA recipients receive temporary relief from deportation and a renewable 2-year work permit, allowing them to work and live more fully. In the past, young undocumented immigrants, faced an uncertain adulthood: no legal work permit, little or no access to scholarships, and constant threat of deportation. With DACA, nearly a third of the eligible young people came out of the shadows. The impact was positive, for recipients and for our country. DACA recipients have a high employment rates. US businesses gained motivated entry-level employees. Nearly 87% of DACA recipients are employed. This contributes an estimated $1.6 billion in annual state and local taxes. In 2018, TnJFON completed DACA renewals for 298 young people. Of those, 99% of renewals were successful.
Program Areas Served
None
$20,000.00
Description
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals provides near 800,000 young people temporary relief from deportation. It has resulted in significant economic and social benefits for the US. DACA recipients receive temporary relief from deportation and a renewable 2-year work permit, allowing them to work and live more fully. In the past, young undocumented immigrants, faced an uncertain adulthood: no legal work permit, little or no access to scholarships, and constant threat of deportation. With DACA, nearly a third of the eligible young people came out of the shadows. The impact was positive, for recipients and for our country. DACA recipients have a high employment rates. US businesses gained motivated entry-level employees. Nearly 87% of DACA recipients are employed. This contributes an estimated $1.6 billion in annual state and local taxes. In 2018, TnJFON completed DACA renewals for 298 young people. Of those, 99% of renewals were successful.
Program Areas Served
None
Budget
$38,000.00
Description
1. Because Tennesseans new to the US are victimized at an alarmingly disproportionate rate, TN JFON is partnering with the District Attorney for Nashville and Davidson County to represent victims in obtaining U-visas (Victims of Crime Visas), which helps the D.A. prosecute perpetrators of crimes. The victim's advocate in that office has informed JFON that she has an extremely large number of such victims in need of immigration assistance to help with their cooperation with the prosecution. We have asked her to refer to JFON the cases most urgently needing representation, although the numbers of individuals even in this most urgent category have been more than JFON can handle with our existing staff. We have a number of individuals on our wait list at this time. TN JFON is seeing many kinds of U-visa cases being referred from various agencies and churches. We have several heart-rending cases in which an undocumented child has been the victim of rape, which makes the child and their immediate family members eligible for a law-enforcement visa if the victim and parents help cooperate with the prosecution. As an example, this year TN JFON received a Victim of Crime visa for a victim of domestic violence whose husband beat her nearly to the point of unconsciousness in front of their two young children and tried to run over the family with his vehicle when they returned home to get clothes and shoes. With her law-enforcement visa she is able to better provide for her two children and prevent her abuser from threatening further harm because of her immigration status.
Program Areas Served
None
$38,000.00
Description
1. Because Tennesseans new to the US are victimized at an alarmingly disproportionate rate, TN JFON is partnering with the District Attorney for Nashville and Davidson County to represent victims in obtaining U-visas (Victims of Crime Visas), which helps the D.A. prosecute perpetrators of crimes. The victim's advocate in that office has informed JFON that she has an extremely large number of such victims in need of immigration assistance to help with their cooperation with the prosecution. We have asked her to refer to JFON the cases most urgently needing representation, although the numbers of individuals even in this most urgent category have been more than JFON can handle with our existing staff. We have a number of individuals on our wait list at this time. TN JFON is seeing many kinds of U-visa cases being referred from various agencies and churches. We have several heart-rending cases in which an undocumented child has been the victim of rape, which makes the child and their immediate family members eligible for a law-enforcement visa if the victim and parents help cooperate with the prosecution. As an example, this year TN JFON received a Victim of Crime visa for a victim of domestic violence whose husband beat her nearly to the point of unconsciousness in front of their two young children and tried to run over the family with his vehicle when they returned home to get clothes and shoes. With her law-enforcement visa she is able to better provide for her two children and prevent her abuser from threatening further harm because of her immigration status.
Program Areas Served
None
Budget
$5,000.00
Description
TN JFON helps individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents apply for their relatives to join them in the United States, as provided in federal immigration law. For example, we have a client who is a citizen, but is originally from Canada. Under our immigration law, she can petition for her daughter to obtain legal status here in the United States. With our help, her daughter, who is 20 years old, is now in the process of applying for her green card.
Program Areas Served
None
$5,000.00
Description
TN JFON helps individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents apply for their relatives to join them in the United States, as provided in federal immigration law. For example, we have a client who is a citizen, but is originally from Canada. Under our immigration law, she can petition for her daughter to obtain legal status here in the United States. With our help, her daughter, who is 20 years old, is now in the process of applying for her green card.
Program Areas Served
None
Budget
$0.00
Description
Advising low-income Tennesseans about their rights under U.S. immigration law. TN JFON is one of the only lawyer-staff non-profit immigration legal clinics that advises individuals about a broad array of immigration legal issues without a charge. This is a very important service for low-income immigrants. Immigration issues deeply affect many of our immigrant neighbors' lives, and they often fall prey to bad legal advice or, quite often, no legal advice. In the past year, TN JFON has given legal advice to two different immigrant mothers with extremely ill children. One mother who attended a clinic in 2009 had a child whose leukemia had just recently gone into remission, and she had important questions about the immigration process. Another mother was at a clinic in the spring of 2010 with a very small child on a ventilater, with a severely enlarged head, who also received free legal advice about her immigration situation.
Program Areas Served
None
$0.00
Description
Advising low-income Tennesseans about their rights under U.S. immigration law. TN JFON is one of the only lawyer-staff non-profit immigration legal clinics that advises individuals about a broad array of immigration legal issues without a charge. This is a very important service for low-income immigrants. Immigration issues deeply affect many of our immigrant neighbors' lives, and they often fall prey to bad legal advice or, quite often, no legal advice. In the past year, TN JFON has given legal advice to two different immigrant mothers with extremely ill children. One mother who attended a clinic in 2009 had a child whose leukemia had just recently gone into remission, and she had important questions about the immigration process. Another mother was at a clinic in the spring of 2010 with a very small child on a ventilater, with a severely enlarged head, who also received free legal advice about her immigration situation.
Program Areas Served
None
Budget
$15,000.00
Description
JFON helps unaccompanied minors under the age of 18 who are in the United States alone apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. This status will allow youth to apply for a social security number, work and obtain a drivers license. In 5 years, these youth are eligible for citizenship
Program Areas Served
None
$15,000.00
Description
JFON helps unaccompanied minors under the age of 18 who are in the United States alone apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. This status will allow youth to apply for a social security number, work and obtain a drivers license. In 5 years, these youth are eligible for citizenship
Program Areas Served
None
CEO/Executive Director/Board Comments
| Pre-pandemic, TNJFON accomplished its work by conducting monthly intake clinics at churches and recruiting volunteers from the church and surrounding community to assist in the process of providing legal services. While the actual legal services are provided by a paid staff attorney, volunteers played a central role in organizing each clinic, creating a welcoming atmosphere, and advocating for the immigrant community in diverse forums. JFON volunteers did everything except provide legal advice on clinic days. They are trained to plan, coordinate, and run each clinic. They are given the skills needed to ensure the clinic flows well, provide case management services, provide translation services, and conduct an initial intake interview with clients. They are trained to maintain confidentiality of client information, as well as in issues regarding the prohibition of the provision of legal services by non-licensed individuals. They also arrive early to set up the space, prepare the files, bring food for the volunteers and clients to share, play with the children who come with their parents for intake, and generally provide hospitality. After the intake interview with a volunteer, the applicant meets with the JFON attorney, who advises the individual of their rights and immigration options. During this initial consultation, the JFON attorney will determine if he/she will represent this client. This is based on two factors. The first is whether or not the client has a viable means of relief within the current immigration system. The second criterion is financial; like most other not for profit organizations, we desire to serve those who cannot otherwise afford legal services. As such, we determine financial eligibility by utilizing the 200% of the US Department of Health and Human Services federal poverty guidelines while taking into account any existing special circumstances. If the individual is financially eligible and has an immigration remedy, the JFON attorney will represent the applicant in immigration proceedings or in pursuing other legal avenues to attain that remedy. The benefits of this model are many First and foremost, the applicant receives high-quality, free or low cost immigration legal advice and representation which is not otherwise available in Middle Tennessee. Second, volunteers provide clients with a warm welcome and often help link clients with additional services for their non-legal needs. JFON only provides immigration legal services to clients, but the needs of this population far exceed legal advice and representation. The individuals JFON serves are often isolated and without access to available community services, and having help from volunteers in accessing resources is a tremendous benefit to them. Third, JFON volunteers become more educated about immigration issues and gain a deeper understanding of how the lack of legal immigration status negatively affects all aspects of an immigrant's life. Volunteers become impassioned about sharing this knowledge with others and advocating for the immigrant community. The host church becomes more connected to the immigrant population around it and gains a more holistic understanding of the needs of their community. Finally, as JFON volunteers become committed to the work of the organization, they, and the various organizations and churches to which they belong, often give generously in other ways to our project. Individuals and churches have donated a laptop computer and three printers, hosted special events, translated client conversations and client documents, painted office space, given presentations about JFON to various churches and organizations, and donated money to support the work of the project. The commitment of volunteers on this level allows TN JFON to commit the majority our funding directly to serving the immigrant community. In mid-March 2020, Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors had to pivot to remote work - scheduling clients for virtual appointments; establishing systems for obtaining documents and signatures from clients; and providing clients with work permits, greens cards and other important documents. We have activated features of a new on-line case management system that allows us to securely communicate with clients and exchange copies of documents. In January 2020, TNJFON launched the Families Together Initiative. Families Together is a free, six-class educational program designed to help noncitizen parents better understand the U.S. immigration system and more fully participate in their immigration case. For the initial session, a small gathering of mothers from different countries came to Casa Azafran each Tuesday and Thursday evening to learn more about navigating the immigration system. Once students completed all six sessions, they were eligible to meet with the Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors attorney for an evaluation of their immigration legal options, a deportation risk minimization plan and a family preparation plan. TNJFON launched a virtual version of Families Together including an updated printed curriculum, a series of video presentations on key topics, interactive exercises and a platform for student and staff discussion. To date, this is the only free multi-session immigration class coupled with a free attorney consultation offered in Tennessee. In addition, in April 2020, Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors launched a Spanish-language podcast, "Oye Vecino" to inform the immigrant population about their rights and responsibilities. This podcast continued through 2023. |
