by Natasha B. | Dec 7, 2017 | Immigration, News, Workers' Rights
A proud win for clients featured in this article about wage theft in the construction industry. Catholic Migration Services alongside NICE (New Immigrant Community Empowerment Coalition) helped some of the Whisk Remodeling workers file claims with the New York Department of Labor, and also advocated to the New York Attorney General. The contractor pleaded guilty to defrauding it’s workers, and admitted owing them $90,000 in unpaid wages.
Read the full story from The New York Times: New York Officials Battle Wage Theft in Construction Industry
by Natasha B. | Nov 20, 2017 | CMS in the News, Immigration, News
Representatives of the Indian Ministry pose for a photo on the church steps. Photo: Marie Elena Giossi, The Tablet
On Saturday, November 18th the Annual Diocesan Migration Day Mass was held at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Hundreds of the faith gathered in the breaking of the bread to celebrate the rich diversity of Brooklyn and Queens by honoring immigrant and ethnic communities. As in past years, the Most Rev. Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn advocated on behalf of the community, a voice for compassionate and comprehensive immigration reform.
Read the full story in The Tablet: Immigrants Feel Strength in Numbers at Migration Mass
by David Colodny | Sep 14, 2017 | News
Help us help Dreamers!
Dreamers are recipients of the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. They are young people who came to the U.S. before the age of 16 and are currently in school, a graduate of high school or equivalent, or honorably discharged from the U.S. military. They also have a clean criminal record and have passed a background check. The DACA registration is good for two years, after which the DACA recipient must again meet the same requirements in order to renew DACA for two more years.
An estimated 790,000 young people have undergone the rigorous vetting and are enrolled in the DACA program.
On September 5th, Attorney General Sessions announced that the current administration is terminating DACA. Current DACA recipients have only until October 5, 2017 to renew their status.
Terminating DACA will have immediate devastating consequences for DACA recipients. With your support, we will continue to reach out to the community to ensure that as many DACA recipients as possible renew their DACA status before the deadline of October 5th.
Please take action now to support the Dreamers by donating to Catholic Migration Services and earmarking your donation to support our DACA work. We will use these funds to help Dreamers needing financial assistance pay the $495 fee charged by the government and to support our expanded efforts to assist Dreamers with their renewal applications.
by changer | Sep 13, 2017 | Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Home and More News, Immigration, Legal Services, News
Catholic Migration Services is deeply troubled and saddened by the Trump administration’s lack of commitment to immigrant youth. On September 5th 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump administration was rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). DACA was a program put in place by President Obama to protect young people from deportation if they had been brought to the U.S. as children, and to enable them to lawfully work. An estimated 800,000 children and young adults across the country applied for, and were granted DACA status. These DACA recipients have been able to finish school and obtain jobs, contribute to our economy and communities, and live without the constant fear of deportation.
For more information on the government’s termination of the DACA program and what it means to current DACA recipients, see our fact sheets in English and Spanish. For advice or assistance with DACA renewal applications, please call us at (718) 236-3000 (Brooklyn) or (347) 472-3500 (Queens).
by changer | Aug 7, 2017 | News, Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
TPS is a temporary legal status granted to Haitian nationals. Temporary Protected Status also offers Haitian nationals the opportunity to apply for work authorization, which permits them to work legally in the United States.
TPS must be renewed every 18 months. Haitian nationals must renew their TPS NO LATER than July 24, 2017. Upon renewal, TPS will be extended until July 22, 2018.
This renewal period is open ONLY to Haitian nationals who currently have TPS. With rare exceptions, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is NOT accepting new TPS registrations.
The basic eligibility requirements to renew Haitian TPS are:
– Applicant must be a Haitian national
– Applicant must have entered the U.S. prior to January 12, 2011
– Applicant must have resided in the U.S. continuously before or since January 12, 2011
– Applicant must have been approved for TPS previously (either in 2010, and timely re-registered in 2011 OR in 2011)
– Male applicants 18 years or older must be registered with Selective Service
The USCIS fees for Haitian TPS renewal are:
– $465, for applicant 14 years or older applying for employment authorization
– $85, for applicant 14 years or older not applying for employment authorization
– $380, for applicant under 14 years applying for employment authorization
– $0, for applicant under 14 years not applying for employment authorization
Fee waivers are available under certain circumstances.
Catholic Migration Services provides legal representation before USCIS to all Haitian TPS applicants we serve.
If you would like more information, or if you are a Haitian national and need to re-register your TPS, please call our Brooklyn office at 718-236-3000 or our Queens office at 347-472-3500 AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Click here for information about Haitian TPS in Kreyòl Ayisyen.
Article written by Deacon Paul Dorsinville, Health Education Coordinator and Kimberley Kearns, Public Ally/Capacity Building Specialist
Special thanks to the Legal Aid Society’s Immigration Law Unit for information.
by Natasha B. | Jun 22, 2017 | CMS in the News, News, Tenant Advocacy
An undocumented immigrant residing in an apartment complex on Parsons Boulevard in Queens, NY seeks assistance from Catholic Migration and Queens Legal Services after realty company seeks to evict undocumented tenants. The landlord is accused of using scare tactics to encourage neighbors to report suspicious activity to the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Unit. Posting signs accompanied by tip line numbers, tenants in the largely immigrant community now live in fear. Carlos Ortiz, tenant organizer with Catholic Migration Services shares this unscrupulous approach with NY 1 reporter Ruschell Boone.
Read the full story and watch the interview with NY 1: Queens Landlord Accused of Trying to Scare Undocumented Immigrants into Moving Away
