In This Issue: A Note From John Education Updates Legal Updates Social Services Updates Tip of the Month Volunteer Spotlight June's Vignette Bits and Pieces HOGAR STAFF: John Odenwelder Director john@hogarimmigrantservices.org Education Services: Danielle Tillilie Group Manager danielle@hogarimmigrantservices.org, x235 Lisa Ehm Waller Manager lisa@hogarimmigrantservices.org, x238 Kristen Gasimov Manager/Office Manager kristen@hogarimmigrantservices.org, x249 Katie Mathews Manager katie@hogarimmigrantservices.org, x243 Erin Maradiegue Manager erin@hogarimmigrantservices.org, x251 Brooke Hammond Pérez Manager brooke@hogarimmigrantservices.org, x239 Legal Services: Michelle Sardone Group Manager michelle@hogarimmigrantservices.org Cindy Brown Paralegal cindy@hogarimmigrantservices.org Nancy Carbajal Receptionist nancy@hogarimmigrantservices.org Maria Cutipa Intake Coordinator maria@hogarimmigrantservices.org Christie Turner-Herbas Staff Attorney christie@hogarimmigrantservices.org Enrique Vargas Paralegal enrique@hogarimmigrantservices.org Chelsy Weber Staff Attorney chelsy@hogarimmigrantservices.org Social Services Dawn Dumas Manager ddumas@ccda.net (703) 443-2481 Angie Marchetto Intake Coordinator amarchetto@ccda.net (703) 443-2481 Hogar Immigrant Services 6201 Leesburg Pike Suite 307 Falls Church, Va 22044 T: (703) 534-9805 F: (703) 534-9809 www.hogarimmigrantservices.org If you would like to have this newsletter sent to a different email address or if you would like to unsubscribe from the mailing list, please email erin@hogarimmmigrantservices.org.

A Note From John Summer may be upon us, but things are not slowing down at Hogar!   In addition to classes and conversation groups which will continue at select sites, the Education Services team will be finalizing our volunteer database, integrating the student databases for our grant and non-grant sites, giving the Teacher Toolbox a much-needed facelift, and beginning outreach for the Fall semester. And, of course, our Legal Services team will continue to accept new clients every Tuesday and Thursday while our Social Services team distributes emergency assistance and food on a daily basis. As we near the end of our fiscal year (FY2011 starts for us on July 1), we have much to be proud of as we look back on the previous 12 months:   We taught over 2,600 adult students at 12 class sites throughout the Diocese at levels from basic literacy to advanced English conversation. We provided a weekly speaker series on issues that are most important to new immigrants– eg, financial literacy, health care, the US educational system. We conducted frequent workshops on immigrants’ rights and US immigration law for local immigrants and for community service providers. We held ten naturalization workshops at parishes and community centers across Arlington, Prince William, Loudoun, and Fairfax counties. The recent workshop at St. Charles Borromeo parish (sponsored by the American Immigration Lawyers Association) served more than 70 clients. We passed the "100th new US citizen" mark as a result of our Citizenship preparation classes and are now teaching at Christ the Redeemer parish in Sterling in addition to our office in Falls Church. We have provided more than 2,100 legal services to 1,500 individuals representing 42 countries across the globe—allowing familes to reunite or permitting parents to remain in the US with sick children. We also won our third major asylum case through a fledgling pro bono program with Arent Fox LLP. Through a combination of agency support, grant funding, and donations from parishes, individuals, and business, we have distributed over $70K in emergency assistance for rent and utilities. Our food pantry in Leesburg is now serving dozens of families each month and is supplying the County Drop-In shelter with brown-bag lunches two days each week. In addition to food, toiletry, and babycare items which are distributed year-round, we conducted seasonal drives for backpacks and school supplies, Christmas toys (including 100+ bicycles and helmets), coats and other winter clothing, and Easter baskets. We exceeded program fee revenues for the fourth year in a row while never losing sight of our mission— eg, more than $32K in scholarships and fee waivers were granted to students and legal clients who could not afford to pay. We were awarded more than $200K in outside funding by such organizations as: VA Department of Education, VA Literacy Foundation, FEMA, National Council of La Raza, and United Way. Our 300+ volunteers collectively logged more than 32,000 volunteer hours, totaling nearly $700K in added value to Hogar and its clients. To all of you-- volunteers, donors, partners, and supporters.-- thank you on behalf of the entire Hogar team for helping us achieve so much during this year. And, lastly, to two special employees-- Erin Maradiegue and Katie Mathews-- who will soon be leaving us for grad school and law school, respectively, I want to say "thank you" for your spirited service to our volunteers and students. You can take pride in knowing that we will build on what you have accomplished in your time here at Hogar to welcome even more strangers in the months and years ahead. Best of luck to you both! Best regards, John Education Updates Teachers: Tell Us How We Can Make Your Volunteer Experience Better! We want to hear from you! Please take 15 minutes to complete a survey to tell us how you are enjoying your volunteer job with Hogar. Education staff will use your comments and suggestions to make improvements to the Education program. Your responses are anonymous. Surveys should be completed by July 11. Click on the link to take the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LBQ73PS Thank you for your participation! ________________________ Two Education Services Staff Members Say Goodbye To Hogar After 19 fulfilling months as a Manager of Education Services at Hogar, I am leaving to pursue a Juris Doctorate at U.C. Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law. I am filled with mixed emotions. On one hand, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and I am sad to leave. On the other hand, I am finally moving back to my home state where “the Snowpocalypse” will dissolve into nothing but a distant memory. I came to Hogar in December 2008 from the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C., a think tank that focuses on immigration policy research. I was ready to leave my windowless office and statistics behind for a chance to work with likeminded co-workers and volunteers for the immigrant community. Today, I am grateful to this organization for pointing my career and my life in the right direction. Through my daily interactions with students, Hogar solidified my decision to go to law school and become an immigration attorney. During the past year and a half, you have all exceeded my expectations. I have been impressed and humbled by the teaching skills, the kindness and the sense of humor of those I’ve met at Hogar—especially the volunteers. Even on warm days in February, I will miss you. Sincerely, Katie Mathews ------------------------- Dear Volunteers, Community Partners and friends of Hogar, I wanted to tell you that at the end of July I will be leaving the Hogar Immigrant Services family. After over three years of working with the immigrant population in northern Virginia, I have decided to go back to school to pursue a Master’s in Instructional Technology at the University of Texas. It was through my time with Hogar that I found this area of interest and I will be forever grateful for the opportunities this organization has afforded me. Working with such an amazing corps of volunteers and community partners has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I feel so blessed to have had the chance to meet such a warm and generous group of people. The work you do with and for Hogar is invaluable! I will be collaborating with the rest of Hogar Education Department to make sure that there is a smooth transition for my replacement. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, enthusiasm and creativity with me. Sincerely, Erin Maradiegue ________________________ Hogar's Fall 2010 ESL Registration Schedule Hogar's Education Services Department is pleased to announce its fall 2010 ESL class schedule. Find a location near you and register this fall! For more information call 703-534-9805 x 222. Site Registration Cost and Class Schedule Fairfax County Annandale High School 4700 Medford Dr. Annandale, VA, 22003 Wednesday, September 15; 6 - 8 pm $40 Monday and Wednesday, 7 – 9 pm *Hogar’s Falls Church Office* 6201 Leesburg Pike, Suite 310 Falls Church, VA 22044 Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, September 13, 14, and 15; 10 am – 12 pm (morning class) 6 – 8 pm (evening class) $100 Monday – Thursday, 9 – 10:30 am, 6 – 7:30 pm or 7:30 – 9:00 pm St. Anthony of Padua Church 3305 Glen Carlyn Rd. Falls Church, VA 22041 Saturday, September 12 and 19, 10 am - 12 pm $40 Saturday, 10 am - 12 pm St. Bernadette Church 7600 Old Keene Mill Rd. Springfield, VA 22152 Saturday, September 11, 10 am - 12 pm $40 Saturday, 10 am - 12 pm St. Joseph Church 750 Peachtree St. Herndon, VA 20170 Wednesday, September 8, 7 - 9 pm $40 Wednesday and Thursday, 7 - 9 pm St. Leo the Great Church 3700 Old Lee Hwy. Fairfax, VA 22030 Saturday, September 11, 10 am - 12 pm $40 Saturday, 10 am - 12 pm St. Mark Church 9970 Vale Rd. Vienna, VA 22181 Thursday, September 16 and Tuesday, September 21 7 - 8 pm $20 plus book Tuesday and Thursday, 8 - 9:30 pm Loudoun County *Christ the Redeemer Church* 46833 Harry Byrd Hwy. Sterling, VA 20164 TBA $40 Tuesday and Thursday, 8 - 9:30 pm Prince William County All Saints Church- Sundays 9300 Stonewall Rd. Manassas, VA 20110 Sunday, September 12, 11 am - 2 pm $40 Sunday, 11:30 am - 1:20 pm All Saints Church- Tuesdays and Thursdays 9300 Stonewall Rd. Manassas, VA 20110 Tuesday and Thursday, September 7 and 9, 7 - 9 pm $50 Tuesday and Thursday, 7 - 9 pm Holy Family Church 14160 Ferndale Rd. Dale City, VA 22193 Sunday, September 12, 1 - 4 pm $60 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 7 - 9 pm Our Lady of Angels Church 13750 Marys Way Woodbridge, VA 22191 Tuesday and Thursday, August 31 and September 2, 7 - 9 pm $50 Tuesday and Thursday, 7 - 9 pm *Citizenship Classes are available at this location.* Legal Updates Legal Services Group Manager Granted Full BIA Accreditation It is with great pride that we share the news that Michelle Sardone has been granted full accreditation by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). For those not familiar with US immigration law, the BIA is part of the US Department of Justice. It has the power to grant "accreditation" to individuals who work for BIA-recognized organizations, such as Hogar. The accredited representative must be of good moral character and must demonstrate significant experience and knowledge of immigration and naturalization law and procedure. To be a partially accredited BIA representative is no small feat-- there are less than 1,000 of them across the United States. And Hogar is fortunate to have two such representatives-- Cindy Brown and Enrique Vargas-- on staff. A fully accredited representative is even more rare. Full accreditation allows a non-attorney to represent clients before the Department of Homeland Security, the Immigration Courts, and the Board of Immigration Appeals. So we are truly honored to have a fully accredited BIA representative at the helm of Hogar's Legal Services team. Many thanks to Jennie Guilfoyle of Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), Dan MacGuire of UNHCR (formerly of Hogar), and Nancy Noonan of Arent Fox for their contributions to the enormous application we assembled to demonstrate Michelle's bona fides in this field. While Michelle commanded the respect of her peers and coworkers before she was granted this special distinction, it is nevertheless a recognition of her excellence as a tireless advocate for immigrants. Please join us in congratulating Michelle on this important achievement! ________________________ “Secure Communities” Program Comes To Virginia In October 2009, US Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) and the Virginia State Police signed a Memorandum of Agreement to implement the Secure Communities initiative in the state. Under Secure Communities local police stations submit fingerprints of all arrestees taken at the time of booking to Virginia State Police, who in turn submit the prints to ICE to be crosschecked with Homeland Security databases as well as with the FBI. Due to the use of advanced biometric technology, this process is instant and automatic. Often the jail will know within four hours whether there is a match in another database. Should there be a match, ICE can notify the jail that they have an interest in that person, and can request that the jail hold the person for a maximum of 48 hours in detention in order to investigate further. The person can then be taken into ICE custody and deported or put into deportation proceedings. As stated in the agreement, this program “focuses on the identification and removal of aliens who are convicted of a serious criminal offense and are subject to removal.” Currently 28 states and 169 localities participate in the Secure Communities program. It is the goal of the Department of Homeland Security to extend the program to all states by 2013. The first communities in Virginia to be outfitted with the program technology were in northern Virginia counties; however as of last week the program has been completely launched statewide. At a June 17 meeting of the Arlington County Latino Roundtable led by Board of Supervisors member Walter Tejada, members of the community voiced their concerns about the new program to Arlington County Sheriff Beth Arthur and Chief of Police Doug Scott. Ms. Paromita Shah of the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild was also present and gave a briefing on the program’s facets and goals. 5% of those who were identified were US citizens and not even subject to removal. According to Sheriff Arthur and Chief Scott, nothing has changed in Arlington County as a result of Secure Communities. Chief Scott declared that it is longstanding practice in the County that immigration enforcement is “not our responsibility.” Despite these affirmations the audience voiced many concerns about the chilling effect this program has on the community. ICE describes Secure Communities as identifying aliens who commit serious crimes, and states that priority will be given to those with more egregious offenses. Ms. Shah shared program data, however, which show that only 9% of those identified have committed a “level 1” (major drug and violence) offense. 86% of those identified in the ICE database have been accused of lesser offenses from minor drug and property offenses to misdemeanors such as drunk in public and reckless driving. Shockingly, 5% of those who were identified were US citizens and not even subject to removal. The concern is that despite program messaging, and the way it was originally proposed to Chief Scott, Secure Communities is not designed to catch the worst criminals, rather it is a wide net that catches those who have contact with the police. Local immigration practitioners expressed concerns that fingerprints are collected and sent to ICE before any determination of a criminal conviction. This could create incentives for overcharging and is easily abused as no oversight mechanism is in place. Someone who is eventually found not guilty, or whose criminal case is dismissed, cannot retract their fingerprints from ICE. Questions were raised regarding the accidental arrest of victims of domestic violence, who in a scuffle could be confused as offenders. There is no exception for those situations, and no assurance of protection for a victim with a past immigration history. This type of fear, the fear that contact with the police leads to contact with ICE, is what Arlington County sought to quell when they stood up against 287(g), the enforcement program implemented Prince William County. County residents repeatedly stated that they were proud to live in Arlington for that reason, and likewise distraught the county would move forward with this program without seeking community input. Important questions posed by Ms. Shah and by community residents were left unanswered. Fingerprint matches can mean that a person has either filed an application with immigration before, had a prior removal order, or has a hit in the FBI database. But for those immigrants who are truly undocumented and have never been fingerprinted by ICE, there is no match and no clear evidence that they are in fact immigrants. In those cases ICE may enlist the assistance of local law enforcement to conduct interviews and access biographic information, and to lodge a detainer to keep that person in custody. Knowing that ICE may not have enough information to commence removal proceedings, to what extent will Arlington County law enforcement collaborate with ICE to acquire needed evidence? Also, each 48-hour detainer that Arlington County honors necessitates additional bed space. Has Arlington County allotted resources to cover these expenses? And finally, will Arlington County consistently release a detainee if ICE fails to take action within the 48-hour period? One assurance that Chief Scott gave at the conclusion of discussion was that his goal is to “deport only violent criminals.” He declared that when ICE came to him with the program proposal, he was lead to believe that Secure Communities would fit well with that goal. When a community member asked the Chief to explain his feelings regarding the program, he responded, “The reality is that how I feel about it and what I can do about it are two different things.” Social Services Updates Donate Your Canned Goods and Non-Perishables to Help Feed The Hungry This Summer Summer can be a tough time for needy families. Schools are out of session, leaving parents in charge of providing a lunchtime meal. According to a June 21, 2010 article on NewsTimes.com, a typical family with two children eats about 200 more meals during the summer than it does the rest of the year. These added expenses can be overwhelming for a family already struggling to make ends meet. You can help families feed their children during these hot summer months by donating to the Western Regional Office’s Food Pantry or Emergency Assistance program. Donations are accepted Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Leesburg office (12 Cardinal Park Drive, Suite 105, Leesburg, VA 20175). Thank you for your generosity! Tip of the Month Commandments For The Classroom As the semester winds down and we say goodbye to our students for the summer, let us take a moment to reflect on how the teaching year went. As teachers, we are continuously trying to improve our lessons, but do we ever sit back and consider our approach and actions in the classroom? If not, here is the ideal time to do so with the “Ten Commandments of the Classroom”! Don’t judge a book by its cover and don’t judge your students before getting to know them. Never negatively comment about a student to another student or teacher. Listen and be open-minded. Do not preach or force your own opinions. Remember that our students come from all over the world! Don’t bring your personal life into the classroom. Never lose your cool and get angry at a student. Never share TOO much information about yourself. It is wonderful to allow your students to get to know you, but do not say anything you may regret. When in doubt- allow them to do the sharing! Be patient. Remember, some students work at a different pace than others. Be cheerful and helpful. Be prepared. Make your lessons as interactive as possible and always have extra activities planned! Remember that these classes are for our students. Allow them to do the talking in class. You already know how to speak English! We hope these “commandments” are helpful in your reflection and that everyone has a lovely summer! We cannot wait to see you in the fall!!! Volunteer Spotlight One Volunteer's Birthday Becomes A Gift For The WRO Diane Reed began volunteering at the Western Regional Office (WRO) in July 2008. Not only did this year mark her second anniversary working at the Leesburg office, but 2010 marked Diane’s 60th birthday. Birthdays are usually about receiving gifts and being the center of attention for a day, but Diane wanted to focus this birthday on giving gifts to her friends in appreciation for all their kindness and focusing on Jesus and his love for the poor. To celebrate Diane decided to treat all her friends to lunch as her gift to them. Diane also asked for a donation to the WRO Food Pantry in lieu of presents. The restaurant owner at Tenderjacks in Leesburg agreed to give a discount on their lunch and the percentage deducted from the bill was donated to WRO. Diane had a wonderful birthday! Her party collected $285 in cash, checks and/or gift cards and 111.2 lbs of non-perishable food for the WRO. It was a win-win! We all got to celebrate with each other, have a great lunch together and recognize the fine work the WRO does in Loudoun County and beyond. Diane said, “It was my best birthday ever!” Thank you Diane for all your work with the WRO over the past two years! June's Vignette Refugee Transcends Adversity To Become Star Student While all of Hogar’s students are well-known for their determination and dedication to learning English, few students have the same dedication and determination as that of Alhaji Bah. Alhaji Bah is 79 years old and from Sierra Leone. In Sierra Leone, he was a shopowner. However, he was forced to flee his country in the early 1990s during civil war and unrest. He lived as a refugee in Conakry, Guinea, for seven years before coming to the United States under refugee status in 2003. He was accompanied to the United States by four of his nine children. However, five of his children had to stay back in Guinea and Sierra Leone, and Alhaji now does not know the whereabouts of three of those five children that were left behind. His four children that came to the United States with him live nearby and Alhaji has since welcomed the arrival of two grandchildren to his family. Since coming to the United States in 2003, Alhaji has been actively working, which has helped him learn conversational English. He started working at National Wholesale Liquidators in Seven Corners. Alhaji currently works in the shipping department at The Washington Post. However, he received no formal education in his country, which limited his ability to read and write English. He started taking English classes here at Hogar in January 2010, enrolling in Hogar’s Literacy class, which taught him how to read and write English. With hard work and determination, Alhaji advanced quickly and placed out of the Literacy class and into the Beginner class after just one semester! His dedication is best exemplified through his attendance record and participation in class. He has come to class every day over the past six months except one in order to attend his daughter’s college graduation ceremony. He also very actively participates in class, studies at home and is always eager to improve his English language skills. Alhaji’s main motivation for learning English is to be able to get his U.S. citizenship. Due to his hard work in both his Literacy and Beginner classes, Alhaji was ready to enroll in Hogar’s Citizenship classes this semester, to help him prepare for his citizenship exam. He is currently dual-enrolled in both the Beginner class and Citizenship class and is actively engaged in both of these classes. He will continue taking Citizenship classes this summer and plans on taking the citizenship exam in September. Thanks for all your hard work, Alhaji! We wish you the best of luck and are confident that you will succeed! Bits and Pieces Fall Is Just Around The Corner! Plan To Attend The Catholic Heritage Festival Please mark your calendars for the upcoming Catholic Heritage Festival, which will be on Saturday, October 2, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm at Bull Run Regional Park in Centreville. Celebrate with fellow Catholics of all ages and nationalities from across the Diocese with mass, great food, games, music, sporting events, dancing and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate the oneness of your faith at Arlington’s second Catholic Heritage Festival. Visit: www.catholicheritagefestival.org for additional details.