Annual Appeal 2024
Grateful for Home
Lionel is a senior who had been living in his Queens apartment for over 20 years. Then he got cancer. He had to stop working and fell behind on rent, and his landlord sued to evict him. Lionel turned to his son
Santiago, who had recently moved to New York City to help take care of him, and Santiago sought housing legal assistance for his father at Catholic Migration Services. We advocated tirelessly and, thanks to our help, Lionel was able to stay in his apartment for two years as he battled cancer. Lionel and Santiago are grateful to have a home for the holidays.
Approximately half of the clients seen by Catholic Migration Services’ housing team are senior citizens like Lionel, who are often unable to work and are struggling to make ends meet on a fixed income. We believe that housing is a human right and we fight to make sure the most vulnerable New Yorkers do not get displaced from their homes.
This giving season, please make a donation support our urgent work helping tenants like Lionel and Santiago who turn to us for help. Catholic Migration Services is a 501(c)3 registered charitable not-for-profit, so any financial contributions are tax-deductible.
Make your tax-deductible donation today here.
Grateful for a Job with Dignity
Anselmo worked long hours as a receptionist in a medical office, but his employer was not paying him the legally required minimum wage or overtime for more than a year and a half. At one point, his boss
completely stopped paying him. The boss threatened to call immigration if Anselmo made any complaints or quit. Anselmo turned to Catholic Migration Services for help. First, we helped him file a claim with the New York State Department of Labor to recover his unpaid wages and to report his Employer’s illegal retaliation. But we didn’t stop there.
Catholic Migration Services obtained certifications from the Department of Labor stating that his employer’s actions constituted criminal conduct justifying the awarding of both U and T visas, which are available to victims of crime who cooperate with law enforcement, and victims of labor trafficking. We also helped Anselmo apply for these visas, and if granted they will offer him a pathway to citizenship, so he can live and work safely in the U.S. without fear. Anselmo is grateful for a job with dignity and a future in the United States.
This giving season, please make a donation to support our urgent work helping workers like Anselmo who turn to us for help. Catholic Migration Services is a 501(c)3 registered charitable not-for-profit, so any financial contributions are tax-deductible.
Grateful for Opportunity
After being abandoned by his parents in Colombia, Julian had to drop out of school at an early age and work to support himself. At the age of 17, Julian journeyed to New York City in search of a better life. When he
was placed in removal proceedings in the United States, Julian turned to Catholic Migration Services for help. Our Removal Defense team rushed to help him, filing paperwork on the last day possible before he aged out of eligibility for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). SIJS is an immigration status available to minors who have been abandoned, neglected, or abused by one or both of their parents.
After arriving by himself in New York, Julian reunited with his aunt and a family court judge granted her guardianship. His aunt enrolled him in a public high school that offered support for newly arrived immigrant youth, where he excelled in art classes. When Julian appeared in Immigration Court, he reported that he had applied to colleges in the United States. The Judge dismissed his deportation.
Julian is now in college studying art and business. He is grateful for the opportunity to pursue his dream of becoming a creative director.
This giving season, please make a donation to support our urgent work helping young people like Julian who turn to us for help. Catholic Migration Services is a 501(c)3 registered charitable not-for-profit, so any financial contributions are tax-deductible.
Grateful for Family
As Ellis Walker, a naturalized citizen from Jamaica, was packing his bags for Iraq for his 2nd deployment
with the U.S. Army, he took a moment to send this family photo and a note thanking Catholic Migration Services for all we have done for him and his family.
Our Naturalization team helped Ellis become a U.S. citizen. He joined the military to serve his new country but between deployments, his mother Lucinda and 2-year-old brother Owen were facing deportation. Ellis did not know if his family would be there to welcome him home when he returned from his tour of duty, and worried about the danger they would encounter if they were forced to return to Jamaica. So, he once again turned to Catholic Migration Services for help.
With advocacy from our Removal Defense team, the Immigration Judge granted a motion to terminate Lucinda and Owen’s deportations. Now Lucinda can lawfully remain with all of her children in the U.S. and both Lucinda and Owen now have a pathway to U.S. citizenship. Because Lucinda and Owen are not allowed to reside on the military base with Ellis, they have been staying in a shelter. Due to our advocacy, Lucinda and Owen avoided eviction from the shelter during a critical time when Owen was recovering from surgery.
This holiday season, the family is grateful to gather together for a videocall with Ellis, who is serving his country knowing that his family is safe at home in the United States.
“Welcoming the stranger” is a tenet of many faiths that celebrates the practice of hospitality and charity to newcomers, and has been the guiding principle of Catholic Migration Services for over fifty years. Throughout changes to the political landscape, Catholic Migration Services continues to honor this message through our dedication to serving low-income and immigrant New Yorkers.
This giving season, we are sharing the stories of just a few of the thousands of people who turn to Catholic Migration Services for help, including:
- Servicemen like Ellis, whose mother and little brother were facing deportation as he prepared for deployment with the U.S. Army,
- Youth like Julian, who was abandoned by his parents and unable to attend school, instead having to work in unsafe conditions in Colombia,
- Workers like Anselmo, whose employer was not paying him and threatened him when he complained, and
- Elderly tenants like Lionel, who was fighting eviction from his home of over 20 years as he battled cancer.
In these uncertain times, immigrant communities will increasingly rely on Catholic Migration Services. Please help us meet this need by giving generously this holiday season.