Friday, October 30, 2009

the u-visa approval; a bittersweet victory

The U-visa is available to victims of qualifying crimes who cooperate with the authorities in the investigation of the crime. The overwhelming majority of cases I see are domestic violence victims. I see a lot of sexual assault of a minor as well. The purpose is to strengthen the relationship between law enforcement and immigrant communities, who are often afraid to report crimes for fear of being put in deportation.

The U-visa is relatively new, and regulations were only released a few years back. Only this year did the government begin to actually issue the visas. So we have had a wave of U-visa approvals coming into our office since about late July. It's amazing to watch the faces of these (often) women and children as they realize they are finally legally permitted to work, legally permitted to stay here, and given an opportunity to one day apply for residency. Sometimes, in my horrible Spanish, I say "Es el plan de Dios, de que a veces de algo malo viene algo bueno." It is God's plan, that sometimes, from something bad comes something good. The overwhelming majority of the time, the clients are overjoyed. They cry; they hug; they walk out of our doors clasping their permits as though they aren't real.

It is one of the great ironies of immigration law that from a legal perspective, a client's personal misfortune is our winning argument. Take a 601 waiver, where you are trying to prove extreme hardship to a USC or LPR. "Does your wife have any major health problems? No? Damnit." It's the awkward part of a U-visa approval as well. "See, aren't you glad now that your stepfather molested you?"

We had a family of four the other day that was approved. I asked the caseworker who saw them if they were happy. She paused and said, "No, actually. Not at all." For a moment I felt dismayed,that narcississtic part of me that loves the clients to love us feeling let down. But, the thing is, I realized, they used to be a family of five. On Christmas Day a few years ago, a drunk driver hit them and killed the baby boy. How did that mother feel, holding that approval notice that she only got because her baby was killed?

What has happened has happened. I know that them having legal permission to stay here will make their lives easier now. Maybe that's all I will ever know. It's just, like I said, bittersweet indeed.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Perspective from an Incoming Refugee to the U.S.

I work at Catholic Charities of Dallas in the Immigration and Legal Services Division. At our Staff Day recently, each division had a presentation to describe its work. The Refugee and Empowerment Services used the perspective of one of their clients to demonstrate what it is they do. I thought it was really interesting, so I asked for a copy:

It’s 10 o’clock on Tuesday night. Me, my wife, and our 4 children have just arrived at the Dallas airport.

We are scared, and we are very tired.

It’s been one whole day since we got on the airplane in Thailand

It’s been three days since we left the United Nations refugee camp on the border of Thailand and Burma.

It’s been fifteen years since we ran from our home in Burma to escape the war.

We all have a big white tag around our necks in case we get lost. But our case manager from Catholic Charities sees us and greets us and helps us get our bags. He takes us in a big van to our new apartment. There are beds, chairs, dishes and many other things in the apartment. There is rice and chicken already cooked, and we are hungry. After we eat, the case manager tells us all about the apartment. He shows us how to use the toilet, how to turn on the lights, and how to lock the door. He leaves and we go to bed

On Wednesday morning, our case manager knocks on the door and wakes us up. He takes us in the van to apply for Social Security cards. Then we go to the Catholic Charities office. Our case manager asks us lots of questions about our lives, what kind of work we know how to do, are we are healthy, what languages do we speak, and we fill out a lot of papers. He tells us that some of the papers will help us get Food Stamps and Medicaid. He gives us a check for pocket money, then we go to the bank and get real money. Our case manager takes us back home, we eat and take a nap

On Thursday, our case manager knocks on the door again. He asks us Is everything OK? Do we need any food? Is everybody feeling OK? He stays for a while, and shows us more things about the apartment. It’s hard to understand the thermostat but we try. He takes us next door to meet some other Burmese people. They are from a different township in Burma, but we are happy to meet some neighbors from our own country.Our case manager takes us to the Catholic Charities World of Goods store to get some clothes, and we pick out something for everyone

On Friday morning, a different case manager knocks on the door. She brings us back to the office and teaches us a class about American life. We ask her lots of questions. She tells us about our rights and our responsibilities, what Catholic Charities will do for us, and what we need to learn to do for ourselves.

After the class we meet our own case manager again to make a plan for our future. We talk about our budget and about getting a job. Our case manager takes us to the grocery store, then we go home again

On Monday morning, our case manager knocks on the door. He walks with us to English class, it’s very close. We meet the teacher and some other students from Burma, and some from Iraq, Bhutan, Somalia, Eritrea and other countries. We take a test so the teacher will know how much English we can speak and what we understand. I go back to English class every Monday and Wednesday morning for 2 months

On Tuesday morning we go to the Refugee Clinic. It’s very close, so we walk there by ourselves. We see a lot of other refugees there from many countries. The doctor examines us and asks us questions. The nurse give us many shots

We’ve been in Dallas for one week, and we’re not scared much any more

On Friday the Orientation teacher knocks on our door. We tell her what things we would like to learn about this country – how to ride the bus, how to get to the hospital, how to use the bank, and how to enroll in college. The teacher talks with us for two hours. Each week, she comes back and we learn more. Sometimes we take a trip on the bus to one of the places we asked about. Every two or three days, our case manager or somebody else from Catholic Charities comes to check on us

2 weeks later our case manager knocks on the door. He takes my wife and the 2 oldest children in the van to register the children for school. It takes all morning for the children to be tested and all the paperwork to be filled out. Then the case manager takes them to the school and introduces them to the teacher

The next day the van driver knocks on the door. My wife and the two younger children ride in the van to class. My wife goes to English class, and the babies have a teacher too. This is a different English class than the one I go to. My wife learns how to speak English, and how to read and write too. She also learns a lot of other things, like how to get ready for a job, how to count money, and how to tell time on the clock. She goes to this class 4 days every week for 4 months

Every month, Catholic Charities pays our rent, and gives us a check for pocket money. I know how to cash a check, and we can walk or ride the bus to the grocery store and buy our own food with Food Stamps. We have a TV and a telephone now.

Now two or three days every week, my case manager picks me up or I ride the bus to the office to meet him. Then we go out to look for a job. My case manager helps me fill out the paperwork every time and tells me what to say in the interview. I can speak a little English now, and I say “Pleased to meet you” and “I am a hard worker”.

One day I get a job interview and I talk to the boss. I am nervous but she likes me and I get the job. My case manager is very happy, and he takes me to Wal-Mart to buy me some work shoes. We go back to my apartment, and then we ride the bus together to my new job and back home again so I know where to go

The next day, I go to work by myself on the bus. It’s very exciting.

One month later, I get a letter from my case manager. It says congratulations, now you are working and you don’t need money from Catholic Charities any more. I’m a little scared about paying my bills by myself, but my case manager has told me many times when this day would come, and so I’m ready for it.

One year after we arrived in this country, we go to the Catholic Charities office on Maple Avenue to apply for our Green Cards. I am happy that we don’t have to pay anything for this.

Another year passes, and we go back to Catholic Charities.
We want to sponsor my brother and his family. They are still living in the refugee camp in Thailand. A nice lady helps me fill out the paperwork that asks the US government to bring my brother to Dallas so we can be together again. I’m sad when she tells me that it could take several years, but that’s up to the government and not to Catholic Charities.

Two more years pass, and my wife and I go back to Catholic Charities
We sign up to take classes to help us become citizens
The class is hard, and it’s all in English. But we come every week to learn everything we need to know to pass the test and be citizens.

Six months later, we go back to Maple Avenue to apply for citizenship. This time we have to pay a lot of money to the government for the paperwork. But my wife and I have good jobs, so I guess it’s OK.

And now it’s more than twenty years since we left our home in Burma and went to the refugee camp. It’s been six years since we first came to this country. But today we are very happy, because today we got the letter that says we are now citizens. We give our thanks to God.