Immigration Advocates Launch Project to Provide Legal Representation to Immigrants in Charlotte, NC
For Immediate Release: December 22, 2020
Contact: media@hispanicfederation.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December, 22, 2020
The pilot project, funded with $300,000 from the Foundation For The Carolinas and Hispanic Federation, will provide legal representation to undocumented immigrants, wrap-around social services to clients and families, as well as community legal rights education.
Charlotte, NC – A first of its kind project to provide undocumented immigrants with legal representation, education, and social services as they deal with removal proceedings has been launched by national and Charlotte based immigration advocates. A recent report by the Vera Institute of Justice ranked North Carolina 47th out of 50 states in representation rates in immigration court.
The new program—Charlotte Partnership for Immigrant Families Initiative (CPIFI)—expands on services currently offered in North Carolina and now coordinates legal, supportive services, and grassroots organizing together. With an estimated 2,000 people in the immigration system, North Carolina currently lacks any publicly funded universal representation program. Currently 35 jurisdictions in 18 states across the country fund universal representation programs. Organizers of the CPIFI pilot project seek to demonstrate the value a universal representation program could have in North Carolina.
With a $200,000 grant from Foundation For The Carolinas and $100,000 from Hispanic Federation, the pilot program seeks to initially provide legal services in 80 cases.
“We are honored to stand with and financially support these outstanding organizations as they seek to protect the legal rights of the most vulnerable in our community,” said Brian Collier, Executive Vice President of Foundation For The Carolinas. “There is a lot of work to do, so it is our hope that this support will inspire others in the philanthropic sector to join the cause.”
Daniel Valdez the North Carolina Director of Hispanic Federation, the new program’s second largest funder and administrator, called CPIFI and similar programs essential to democratic beliefs.
“As a nation of laws, one of our most important ideals is a justice system which provides equal representation to all,” said Valdez. “Programs like this seek to correct the injustice thousands of immigrants face as they are forced to navigate our legal system alone and unaware of their rights—a journey which often takes years and puts untold stress on them and their families.”
One of the first people to benefit from the new program was Viviana Pineda Olivia who had her status adjusted to lawful permanent resident earlier this month, after a hearing before an immigration judge. Viviana was represented by an attorney from the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, one of the partners in the new program.
"Immigrants brought into court proceedings are often eligible for lawful status, but the extreme complexity of immigration law means that a person without a lawyer by her side has almost no chance of protecting herself from deportation,” said Sharon Dove, Director of the Immigrant Justice Program with the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy. “Through our 12-year history working in the Charlotte immigration court system, we have seen the impact of national statistics which show that the single biggest influencer on whether someone who meets the system’s legal requirements is allowed to stay is legal representation.”
Viviana’s case is emblematic of the time and resources required to provide adequate representation to undocumented immigrants. In 2014, Viviana arrived in the United States from Honduras at age 12 with her sister and mother. After being placed in the custody of her aunt, she applied for special immigrant juvenile status (SIJS) based on a history of abuse and abandonment by her mother. Her application was denied, and she was ordered removed by an immigration judge, a decision that was successfully appealed.
Finally granted SIJS, Viviana, now 18, recently graduated from high school in Charlotte and hopes to enlist in the United States military. Under the CPIFI program, attorneys worked to bring that dream closer to reality by representing Viviana in her effort to gain permanent residency in the US.
“When I heard that I got residency I was crying so much, because this has been such a difficult process, and at times I was scared and didn’t know what was going on,” said Viviana Pineda Olivia. “I have no words to describe how much my lawyers meant to me. They were always focused on me, reminding me to take care of myself. They gave me hope, and that is everything you need.”
Recognizing that immigration and removal proceedings can take years and often involve head-of-households, Charlotte based Latin America Coalition will make available emergency financial, food, and housing assistance to participants. The program also aims to reach hundreds of families through community educational workshops, including know your rights programming, being spearheaded by Action NC.
“What makes this project so unique is that in addition to providing legal assistance and access to other services, we aim to provide leadership development and community workshops, to promote more tangible and lasting results,” said Héctor Vaca, Immigrant Justice Director for the Action NC project Líderes en Acción. “Clients of this project will develop valuable skills that will help them advocate on their individual cases, while working together to support other clients through grassroots campaigns. In the end, this project isn’t only about individual victories. The goal is to lift up our community and promote broader change.”
Contact:
Matthew Rojas
mrojas@hispanicfederation.org
