Immigration
Immigration Services
In a moment when the demand for legal representation far outstrips our community’s resources, PRC is building on our experience serving local immigrant communities by launching an initiative that will provide affordable, safe, and reliable representation to immigrants as they attempt to legally navigate the U.S. immigration system.
To make vital legal services more accessible to immigrants, the Department of Justice (DOJ) recognizes trained immigrant advocates to provide specific types of immigration legal services, including Temporary Protective Status (TPS) applications, Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITIN), Legal Permanent Resident (Green Card) renewals, and work permit applications.
“Immigrant advocates model a new way forward to revolutionize the provision of legal services akin to nurse practitioners in healthcare.”
An estimated 1 million immigrants living in the U.S. would be eligible for relief if they had access to legal services, but many people rely on unauthorized legal advice from friends or social workers because they have few or no other options.
Aiding the pursuit of legal immigration status will result in a more sustainable and safe path to housing, medical care, and employment for immigrants, who are twelve times more likely to gain eligible relief when they are represented. By cultivating a team of trained immigrant advocates, PRC can maximize the efficiency of local care providers, the energies of dedicated volunteers, and the efforts of those seeking stability.
Interested in volunteering? We need volunteers to train as legal advocates, to interpret consultations, and to provide rides and childcare. Please reach out to Rhoda – rhoda@connectprc.org, 717-299-1113
We are grateful for the support of:
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We are currently fundraising to support our immigration services initiative.
Wrap-Around Services
Oftentimes, working with immigrant populations means that we are serving individuals and families that are food- and housing-insecure, suffering from traumatic events, non-English speakers, or people for whom American bureaucratic systems are opaque. PRC already offers a range of services for vulnerable populations that is available regardless of a person’s legal status, including food assistance. It is also important to note that there are many high-quality programs available to refugees in our area, but that refugees make up only a small percentage of the immigrant population, leaving most immigrants without access to needed services.
Bonds
PRC began working in immigration in 2019, as the fiscal sponsor for the group Immigration Bond and Advocacy Effort (IBAE). In addition to PRC, the affiliations of the founding members of this bond effort included Landisville Mennonite Church, Lancaster Friends Meeting, Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center, and ALDEA – The People’s Justice Center.
PRC continued to help facilitate this work by soliciting donations, posting bond, and filling gaps for released asylum seekers as needed. IBAE was eventually absorbed into PRC’s growing work in immigration.
PRC’s bond fund has been fully distributed. As bonds are returned over the next few years, we will reallocate it.
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PRC’s bond fund has been fully distributed.
Carter’s Story
Carter spent two years in York Detention Center waiting for his asylum case to be settled. He ate the detention center food and never even saw the sky. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was granted asylum and released from detention, but with no sponsor, he had nowhere to go. PRC arranged for quarantine lodging to ensure everyone’s safety. During quarantine, Carter was able to pass many hours on his little balcony watching the changing sky. Because of a partnership with a local catering company (run by recent refugees), the meals delivered during his quarantine included the tastes of his home in central Africa. PRC was able to find a welcoming church that is now working to give Carter a very bright future in his new home.