Volunteers Needed

On Saturday, March 27, JFON Houston and BakerRipley are hosting a large outdoor naturalization workshop at Ripley House (4410 Navigation Blvd) and we need volunteers to assist with traffic and workshop logistics as well as volunteer attorneys to help with application screening and preparation.  Volunteers are needed from 7:30 am to approximately 1:30 pm.  If you are available to help, please call JFON Houston at 713-454-6470 or email Karina@jfonhouston.org.

 

Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill Needs Your Support

According to Politico.com, Democrats won’t take up President Biden’s immigration plan in March because they don’t have the votes to secure passage.  So they are moving ahead with an alternative plan to move the Biden bill through committee while the full House votes on more-targeted immigration legislation that already enjoys broad caucus support. 

The Texas Congressional Delegation needs to hear that you support this important bill.  They must know that voters will hold them accountable if this historic and much-needed legislation fails.  If you support President Biden’s comprehensive immigration reform bill, please call your representative in Congress and let him/her know you fully support the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 and would appreciate his or her support on the House floor. 

The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 provides pathways to citizenship and strengthens labor protections for immigrants.  The bill will reform the family-based immigration system so families can be together and stay together. Additionally, the bill contains language to prioritize smart border controls and address the root causes of migration.

Click here to read the brief on the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021

Click here to enter your address and find your representative in Congress.

 

New Beginnings: Immigrant Women and The American Experience

Women immigrants have played a dynamic role in transforming America socially, politically, and economically.

Though women are integral characters, immigration is rarely thought of as a woman's story. Women historically have accounted for almost 50 percent of immigrants and currently exceed that. Women's motivations for migration have been varied and complex. Gender has influenced migrant women's choices to immigrate as well as their opportunities and challenges upon arrival. 

To read more about the role immigrant woman played shaping U.S. history, click here to experience the entire National Women’s History Museum virtual exhibit.

 

JFON Houston Client Story

Meet Leydi, a 26-year-old citizen of Panama.  Leydi came to the United States with her family when she was just 10 years old.  She was 17 when then-President Obama issued an executive order creating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program, a policy that provides work permits and protection from deportation for young people who were brought to the U.S. as children without papers.

Leydi qualified for DACA, but her family couldn’t afford to pay the program filing fees or to hire a private attorney to help them. 

Five years later, Leydi had finally saved the money needed to apply for DACA only to learn that the Trump administration had rescinded DACA and new applications were not being accepted.  Her heart sank.

Years later, Leydi heard of the work JFON Houston was doing and made an appointment to see if there were other immigration pathways she could pursue.  During her legal consultation, she learned that a court order at the end of 2020 reversed the ability for first-time DACA applicants to submit applications and that on January 20, 2021, President Biden signed an executive order, “Preserving and Fortifying Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).”

JFON Houston’s legal team helped Leydi complete her DACA application.  Once the application is approved, Leydi will receive work authorization and have the opportunity to receive a Social Security number and a driver’s license.  Leydi is excited to see what her future holds!

 

JFON Houston and BakerRipley will be hosting a "Drive-Thru Citizenship Forum on Saturday, March 27, 2021.  Registration will begin at 9am at the Ripley House located at 4410 Navigation Blvd., Houston, 77011.  All participants are asked to wear a face mask and remain in their car.  Participants will receive free one-one-one citizenship application assistance.  Please download the attached worksheet and complete it before you arrive.

For more information and to download the worksheet please click here.

 
 
 

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