How Catholic Charities provides support through the immigration process and beyond

In 2018, the foreign-born population in the United States hit a record high, according to the Pew Research Center.

Even though the number of immigrants is growing, there are many proponents for immigration reform that emphasize the many obstacles and challenges that continue to delay or derail the immigration process. Immigration wait times, for example, have doubled since the 1990s. In fact, more than 100,000 legal immigrants in the U.S. have had to wait at least a decade to apply for a green card.

In the Triangle, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh advocates for immigrants, helping people navigate the immigration process and providing additional, vital aid along the way.

"At Catholic Charities, our theme is providing help, creating hope and serving all — and that's exactly what we're doing with the immigration help we provide," said Luisa Martin-Price, an accredited Department of Justice representative with Catholic Charities. "We're offering help and resources that they wouldn't have by themselves. The laws are always changing when it comes to immigration, and we want to provide them with hope that they can live here and work here."

Catholic Charities helps people who are legally immigrating from around the world, including Mexico, Africa, Haiti and more. Since many people going through the immigration process don't have the necessary funds to hire a lawyer, Catholic Charities steps in and helps with paperwork, processing and overcoming any potential obstacles along the way.

"We have a staff that's accredited by the Department of Justice. We're able to help for a much lower fee than people would usually have to pay to an attorney. Our goal is for families to have a place where they feel safe to navigate that process, and they can meet with a representative who is most likely bilingual and can provide important resources," said Lisa Perkins, CEO of Catholic Charities. "These are our neighbors. They have needs, and we are glad to be able to help in meeting some of them."

Some of the staff at Catholic Charities are immigrants themselves, giving them a uniquely helpful insight into the immigration process. Martin-Price, born in Caracas, Venezuela, has seen the challenges of the immigration experience first-hand.

"I married an American and came here. I have all the proper paperwork, but the immigration system is just not good. I came here one time with all my permits, and they stopped me in Miami. I lost my connection and they didn't care — I was stranded in Miami for three days, even though I'm doing everything the right way," said Martin-Price. "It is very hard, and a lot of people who come are hard workers, but they just don't have the knowledge."

In one case in particular, a client came to the charity for an adjustment status — meaning she came into the country with a visa, but then married an American citizen and needed to adjust her status. That status then became conditional for two years, and the client then had to go through the application process again to remove that condition.

Finally, she was able to apply for citizenship — which meant even more paperwork.

Stories like these are unfortunately common in Martin-Price's line of work.

"If people don't have their papers ready, it's not because they don't want to — of course, everybody wants to have their paperwork ready before doing anything. But it's very hard and very complicated. It also involves a lot of money. For example, for the deferred action for childhood arrival, or DACA, those kids have to pay $495 to review to renew their permits every two years," said Martin-Price. "People have a lot of misconceptions about immigrants, and I wish we could educate everyone on just how hard it is. It's not easy, and I'm glad that Catholic Charities have the ability to help."

Through helping navigate the legal process, Catholic Charities also aids people in avoiding expensive legal fees.

The immigration process can be lengthy and difficult — and oftentimes people need additional aid during or after their experience. Luckily, Catholic Charities provides a number of other resources, like food banks and donation centers.

"We're usually in contact with clients for a minimum of four or five years, but we typically keep in touch even after that," said Martin-Price. "Since we have a whole network within Catholic Charities, they may need some other kind of help. We're able to help them navigate not only the immigration system but also point them in the direction of whatever else they need."

With such a tall order and a long list of people in need, Catholic Charities relies on help from volunteers to accomplish its mission. Volunteers don't need to speak Spanish — they can chip in by doing anything from filing paperwork to scanning documents. Some volunteers are even retired lawyers that provide much-needed legal expertise.

Moving forward, Catholic Charities Catholic Charities aims to continue growing — helping as many people throughout eastern North Carolina as possible.

"Our plan is to expand into other regions throughout eastern North Carolina and provide immigration services, because the need is there, and I think it will only grow," said Perkins. "Through all of our services, we're able to help families in a holistic way. These are our neighbors, and we're always looking for new ways to help them through these challenges."