Vocal Minority Funds Legal Rights for Immigrants
The Vocal Minority community is proud to announce its May grantee: Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center
Immigration has become a hot-button issue in American politics. But talk of walls and border security often ignores the human side of the story: the immigrants themselves, and their need for legal representation. That’s why Vocal Minority’s focus for May is immigration, and our chosen nonprofit is Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center.
Las Americas is based in El Paso County, Texas, and is the fourth poorest county in the nation. The El Paso port-of-entry sees the second highest number of people crossing into the United States by land, second only to San Diego. It’s also a high-traffic corridor for illegal crossings.
This means that immigrants from all around the world end up in El Paso. Many of these people are refugees, victims of crime and abuse, or families seeking reunification. And a whole lot of them are in need of legal advice and representation.
Since 1987, Las Americas lawyers and staff have been serving the legal needs of the El Paso immigrant community. Every year, they help over 1,000 immigrants, either with advice or direct representation. Las Americas believes that “the American Dream… should be accessible to all deserving people, regardless of their countries of origin and their financial standing.”
Las Americas is certified with the Board of Immigration to offer legal assistance. By supporting their mission, Vocal Minority and friends will be helping immigrants start their new life on the right foot.
Here are a few of stories of people Las Americas has helped. (Some names have been changed to protect identities.)
Karl was a student activist in Cameroun who was imprisoned after leading protests against government abuses. Karl was selected to attend a university conference in San Diego but had to sneak out of Cameroun in a friend’s military car in the dead of night to escape the government’s watch. With the help of Las Americas, Karl won his asylum case and was able to start a new life in the US.
“Mariana” was an undocumented immigrant who was brought to the US at a young age. She suffered at the hands of her ex-husband, who hit her, pulled her hair stabbed her multiple times in the chest. Mariana survived the attack and pressed charges against her ex-husband. With the help of Las Americas, she obtained a U-Visa for victims of crime and a work permit in about a year.
Araceli was an abandoned child in El Salvador who was passed on from stranger to stranger, exploited as an unpaid and underfed servant from the age of 5 and sexually abused by the age of 13. She traveled to the United States at age 15 and, with the help of Las Americas, she is now a legal permanent resident.
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