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Looking Ahead: Takeaways from the CJ Roundtable

January's Roundtable welcomed over 30 area service providers who worked in small groups to discuss resources and gaps in serving our area’s Latino population and shared ideas on how the CJ network can rise to meet these challenges. The need for ongoing and increased outreach to publicize available resources and services was the number one theme echoed by all groups, both within the CJ network of service providers and with the Latino community at large. Groups also presented a number of suggestions to help improve access to needed resources for Spanish speaking households including:

We are grateful to the participants of the Roundtable for their thoughtful feedback and to all the service providers in our network for your ongoing commitment to serving the area’s Latino community. You can read the Roundtable Notes and learn more about area Services for Latinos on the CJ website.

Join us at February's CJ Workshop: "May I See Some Identification, Please?" Immigrants' Interactions with State and Local Government in Virginia

Through two presentations this CJ workshop will respond to local service providers' requests for information about licenses and identification for immigrants as well as new laws that will affect Virginia's foreign born population:

First, Sergeant Sean Hackney of the Albemarle County Police Department will discuss identification issues during interactions with law enforcement. Second, Tim Freilich, Legal Director of the Legal Aid Justice Center’s Immigrant Advocacy Program, will present an overview of bills being considered by the General Assembly that are of particular interest to Virginia’s immigrants. There will be an opportunity for questions following each presentation.

Thursday, February 9, 2012. Albemarle County Office Building, 5th St. Ext., Room A. 10:00-11:30am. CJ workshops are free and open to the public. No advanced registration necessary.

Know an Outstanding Young Immigrant? Immigrant Youth Achievement Award Nomination Deadline is February 1st.

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n a media fueled environment where the label “immigrant” has taken on such negative qualities, the American Immigration Council works to combat these stereotypes by holding up exemplary youth in our communities as examples of the positive contributions young immigrants are making in our country every day. The Immigrant Youth Achievement Award recognizes a young immigrant (age 14-25) in the United States whose accomplishments are the embodiment of the immigrant spirit and show a commitment to making a positive impact in their community or the world around them. Nomination deadline is February 1, 2012.

Stay Informed: New Immigration Law Proposal

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced a proposed change that would ease the path to a green card for certain undocumented immigrant family members of U.S. citizens. The purpose of this change is to reduce the time that U.S. citizens are separated from their family members while undergoing the immigrant visa and waiver process for unlawful presence.

It is important to understand that this change has only been proposed at this time, and USCIS does not plan to publish and implement the final rule until the end of 2012. Many "notarios" or "immigration consultants" who are NOT legally authorized to practice immigration law are already taking advantage of this announcement and trying to raise hopes or scam immigrants into paying for immigration applications based on a rule that is not yet effective. USCIS will reject these applications.

USCIS has reached out to the community to seek help in educating the public about this proposed rule and the fact that it is not yet law. Commonwealth Catholic Charities created these flyers with basic information about the proposed rule and warning against immigration scams in English and Spanish.

You can also find a list of trusted legal service providers and local immigration attorneys on the CJ website.