Thread: IL:ChildServ resumes immig services, new immig specialist

On the one hand this service is trying to give them legal status. On the other hand who is paying for this grant? Can illegal aliens apply for legal status? How does that work. Look at all the benefits mentioned in the article one can apply for when legal. Are they saying they only help a certain group of people? I can't go to them for low-cost advice or help?


ChildServ resumes immigration services
New specialist on staff makes rounds in Waukegan, Round Lake, Mundelein

July 5, 2008
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By RYAN PAGELOW rpagelow@scn1.com

To help immigrants navigate the process of becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen, a nonprofit family service agency in Waukegan has hired a new immigration specialist to provide low-cost assistance in Waukegan, Round Lake and Mundelein.

ChildServ initiated its citizenship and immigration program in Lake County 15 years ago, but had been without an immigration specialist since January.
» Click to enlarge image
Norma Duron-Rojas of Grayslake discusses immigration and citizenship with Jose Jauregui of Round Lake at the Round Lake Area Public Library. Duron-Rojas is an immigration specialist for ChildServ.
(Josh Peckler/Special to the News-Sun)

Immigration services

Norma Duron-Rojas will help clients with immigration applications at ChildServ's Lake County Family Service Center, 1103 Greenwood Ave. in Waukegan. She'll also be at Round Lake Area Public Library, 906 Hart Road, from noon until 6 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month and at the Mundelein Community Resource Center, 115 N. Seymour Ave., from 3 to 6 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month

Citizenship classes are held at ChildServ's office in Waukegan and in the meeting room of Round Lake Library from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will begin using a revised citizenship test on Oct. 1.

For more information on ChildServ programs, or to make an appointment to see ChildServ's immigration specialist, call (847) 263-2200.

With the addition of Norma Duron-Rojas of Grayslake, who has 11 years experience working in immigration, ChildServ is expanding the program. Besides seeing clients at ChildServ's Lake County Family Service Center in Waukegan, starting this month she will see clients at the Round Lake Area Public Library and the OMNI Youth Services in Mundelein once a month.

"Lake County has a huge Hispanic immigrant population, so it makes sense to bring the needed services to them in the areas where they live," Duron-Rojas said. "Plus, we can save these people thousands of dollars otherwise spent on attorney fees."

Hiring a private immigration attorney can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000, she said. ChildServ only charges a fraction of that cost on a sliding scale based on the client's financial resources.

She helps new citizens file petitions for their spouses, children or other lived ones to receive legal residency status.

"People who have legal status can apply for better jobs, apply for government benefits, apply for loans and scholarships for college, obtain needed health care for themselves and their children, and be more responsible parents in general," Duron-Rojas said.

ChildServ also helps immigrants obtain work permits, temporary status protection, permanent residency under the Violence Against Women Act and the U visa for the people who have been a crime victim. Immigrants can call or walk-in for an appointment.

Originally from Guatemala, Duron-Rojas immigrated to the United States in 1983 when she was 19 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2001. Previously she worked with the National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago.

Also starting in July, ChildServ has started a new health outreach program focused on informing Lake County Hispanics about health, nutrition and fitness, funded through local health foundations, said Jeanne Becker, director of ChildServ's Lake County Family Service Center.

"There are a number of barriers that exist between the Hispanic community and the hospitals and clinics," Becker said.

Some of the barriers include language, reluctance to get involved in the system and not having insurance. A ChildServ health coordinator will meet with Hispanic families for health assessments and walk them through the potential steps to get the necessary care.

This year ChildServ is expanding its state subsidized day-care program which links low-income families with certified home day-care providers for about 85 children.

ChildServ also has a parent coaching program for parents with children up to age 3, a low-cost auto loan program for people with bad credit, a family literacy program and a foster care program.

Thank for a real eye-opener type of article. Obviously they are stacking the deck in favor of their own kind. What can you do?

-Can you challenge it as discrimination against non Spanish speaking immigrants? They should provide the service to any of the dozens of languages in the Chicago area. Contact the state department overseeing this.

-It would also be possible to look for deportable offenses. No doubt there could be quite a few of these. One overlooked one is failure of young men to register for Selective Service--and yes this does apply to illegal aliens, of the proper age

-If childserv is a non-profit organization it is subject to federal laws regulating what it can do. Find out if it is overstepping its bounds as a non-profit group. We have been looking into religious organizations that overstep the limits of their 501c3 status. Not sure which designation this group has--but check into it.

This woman is no more qualified to provide legal services regarding immigration benefits than Bozo the Clown.....this is ripe for fraudulent applications....in essence, she may be skirting the fine line of unauthorized practice of law.....and should be carefully watched by the USCIS and perhaps the Illinois Bar......any application coming from that organization should be scrutinized very carefully.........

Even more troubling is that the article mentions the use of the "victim" visa...now all of a sudden every woman and child that's illegally present in Waukegan is going to claim eligibility for that type of visa.....we all can see where that would be headed.....

http://www.childserv.org

ChildServ is a not-for-profit child and family well being organization...


"Contributors

* Nearly 650 volunteers and 450 licensed foster parents take an active role in helping ChildServ reach its goals and objectives. ChildServ's volunteers donate more than 3,000 volunteer hours per year.

* ChildServ has more than 192 committed staff and interns and is led by a dedicated Board of Trustees

* ChildServ's budget is approximiately $12.4 million. Funding resources include special events such as the Golf Outing, Jazz Mixer and Walk-A-Thon, corporations, foundations, churches, individuals, civic organizations, United Way, and government grants."

manually transcribed from:

http://www.childserv.org/downloads/broc ... tsheet.pdf