Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.

By: Tessa Winkler

In the ten years since September 11, 2001, our national and personal stories have been irrevocably changed.  The terrible toll of that day continues to impact our politics, families and identities as Americans.  As we mark a decade since the devastating events of 9/11, CLINIC reflects upon the ways in which the experience shaped the U.S. immigration landscape and recognizes the principles of Catholic Social Teaching and the foundation of our nation’s history that timelessly encourage us to endure.

By: James Porter

Labor Day was made a federal holiday in 1894 to celebrate the strength and spirit of the American work force.  This year, Labor Day was celebrated in the midst of an economic crisis, with unemployment spiking across the country.  Immigrants have often been a scapegoat for those looking for someone to blame for the bad economy.  From the Irish immigrants of the early 1900’s to the Hispanic immigrants of today, as each wave of immigrants has come to the U.S. seeking a better life and more opportunities, they have been greeted by people who are ready to point a finger.

By: Allison Posner

CLINIC welcomes the Obama Administration’s August 18^th announcement that the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice will be working together to re-assess and prioritize the hundreds of thousands of pending removal cases.  In addition to providing temporary relief from imminent deportation to those individuals whose cases will be administratively closed,  this interagency review will cut into the severe backlog that plagues our immigration court system, reducing the wait times for individual cases to be adjudicated. 

By: Maria M. Odom

Part 1 of a multi-part series on the unauthorized practice of law.

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the launch of the Federal campaign against the unauthorized practice of law. An unprecedented, multi-agency effort, the campaign brings powerful players together from the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and the Federal Trade Commission.  As I listened to the leadership from USCIS, ICE, EOIR, DOJ’s Civil Division, and the FTC explain their plans for collaboration to fight unauthorized “practitioners” who harm immigrants, I couldn’t help but think:  “it’s about darn time!”

By: Andrés Abella y Alex Cohen

Aquellos quienes antes del martes 28 de junio no conocían a Ola Kaso −graduada de secundaria con honores y a punto de debutar como becaria de la Universidad de Michigan− quizá se preguntaron que hacía la delgada muchachita de 18 años en la audiencia de aquel día del subcomité de Inmigración, Refugiados y Seguridad Fronteriza del Senado de los Estados Unidos.

By: James Porter

Over 8 years ago, Abeba arrived in the United States with a visitor’s visa at New York’s JFK Airport, en route to Washington, DC.  She came by herself from Ethiopia leaving behind her family, and everything she knew.  Abeba was granted asylum in 2004 and later received a green card in 2005.  With the help of distant cousins, she began to settle into a community with other Ethiopian nationals in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C.  Abeba currently works for CLINIC in the Office of Finance and Operations.  She became a citizen last Friday, July 8^th in Baltimore, Maryland with family, friends, and the extended CLINIC family proudly looking on.

By: James Porter

“1 refugee without hope is too many” – The theme of this year’s World Refugee Day as established by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reflects some of the realities of the current refugee population in the world.  The number of people forcibly displaced has reached a 15-year high with more than half being children.  Almost 44 million people (15.4 million refugees, 27.5 million internally displaced people, and 850,000 people seeking refugee status), were forcibly displaced in 2010.  Additionally, 4/5 of the world’s refugees are hosted in developing countries, where many stay for years with little hope. (Read more in UNHCR’s report: Global Trends 2010)

By: Wendy Rhein

I am not an overly exuberant person as my CLINIC colleagues will attest, but CLINIC’s 14^th annual Convening blew me away.   Held May 14-16 in Seattle, Washington, this gathering of almost 300 non profit immigration service professionals was engaging, personal and productive.  I have been at CLINIC for less than a year, so this was my first opportunity to attend this conference.

By: Alexander Cohen

The motto of Haiti is “L’union fait la force” which translates to “the union makes the strength.” In the wake of the January 2010 earthquake, the people of Haiti struggled with a humanitarian crisis that no union could solve unilaterally, much less a country that was the poorest in the western hemisphere before the tragedy.

By: James Porter

For Mother’s Day this year, I sent my mother flowers because I could not be with her to celebrate.  All over the country, moms received cards and gifts, sat down for Sunday brunch, and felt the love and joy that comes with being a mother.  However, there are many other mothers who like mine, could not be with their children, but for very different reasons.