This is the first in a five part series featuring the staff of HILSC and their experiences with belonging. Vickie Giambra – In my first week at HILSC, the entire team sat together and watched a webinar called “The Belonging Barometer: The State of Belonging in America,” which presented findings from a survey by Over Zero and the Center for Inclusion and Belonging at the American Immigration Council. The findings and resulting discussion left quite an impression on the HILSC team, sparking a conversation about belonging and how it impacts the work we do. What do we mean by “bel ..read more

The post 2021 Annual Report Overview appeared first on Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative ..read more

As our Forensic Evaluations program comes to a close, we’d like to acknowledge the contribution of Dr. Jodi Berger Cardoso, a mentor for our program. Her 15+ years of experience working with the immigrant community and her participation as a mentor has been invaluable to fortifying HILSC’s clinical network. In this article, we ask her what brought her to forensic evaluation and what insights she has for others interested in this work. 1. What inspired you to do forensic evaluations? There was a need for clinicians to help with the response of unaccompanied minor children arriving at the borde ..read more

On September 9, 2022, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued the Final Rule on Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility (Final Rule), which will become effective on December 23, 2022.[1] In the Final Rule, DHS acknowledges the chilling effects caused by the 2019 Public Charge rule that had deterred immigrant families from enrolling in healthcare and public benefits safety net programs. The Final Rule repeals the 2019 Public Charge rule and codifies the 1999 Field Guidance on Public Charge and provides more clarity on how immigration officials and consular officers will make public charge ..read more

Texas is the capital of the uninsured.[1] In 2020, around five million Texans lacked health insurance. 3% of Texans were uninsured,[2] almost doubled the national average of 8.7%. 27 out of Texas’ 36 Congressional districts were at the bottom 10% of insurance coverage. The district that had the highest uninured rate in the nation – 31% of the residents were without insurance – was in Harris County. Texas is one of twelve states that did not expand Medicaid eligibility to cover individuals whose income is between 100% and 138% of the Federal Poverty Guideline.[3] Studies have shown that thos ..read more

Reproductive justice is not all lost in the Post-Roe world, here are some resources: Uninsured, undocumented, or in limbo immigration status (e.g. DACA, TPS)? You have healthcare options.  Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are low-cost centers that provide care for low income people, regardless of immigration status.  In Harris County, Harris Health provides services and a financial assistance program.  Need reproductive health resources? Consider mutual aid efforts: Many mutual aid funds are still in operation to support women who need access to an abortion. Some ..read more

Reflections on a Historical Supreme Court Term What can one say about the SCOTUS Term 2021-2022? Yes, the U.S. Supreme Court in Biden v. Texas did find that the Biden Administration has authority to end the “Remain in Mexico” policy, a program that forced asylum seekers to live in squalid and dangerous conditions across the border as they awaited adjudication of their applications. However, this victory does not mitigate the harm and suffering of the 71,000 people who were put through that program and no date has been set for its termination as of this writing. Prior to issuing the “Remain in ..read more

On June 15, 2012, President Obama authorized Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to provide deportation reprieve for the nation’s estimated 1.9 million young people who came to the United States as children. To be eligible, individuals must have come to the United States before their sixteenth birthday and have resided in the United States since June 15, 2007, were under age 31 as of June 15, 2012, are in school, have graduated or obtained a GED, or honorably discharged from the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States, have no immigration status, and pass a background check ..read more

Every May, we celebrate the history and heritage of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the United States. There are more than 25.6 million Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific islanders in the United States (24 million Asian Americans and 1.6 million Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders). Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) encompass more than 50 ethnic groups that trace their lineage from more than 40 countries. As a group, AANHPI is the fastest-growing racial group in the United States. Their skin color ranges from fair to b ..read more

I am the American heartbreak – The Rock on which Freedom Stumped its toe – The great mistake That Jamestown made Long ago ~ Langston Hughes Until the pictures depicting Border Patrol’s abusive treatment of Haitian migrants in Del Rio hit the news in September last year, the plight of Black migrants has been largely invisible in the public consciousness, and it has rarely factored into the public discourse on immigration. Yet, immigration is a Black issue. Black immigrants make up one of the fastest growing groups in the United States, increasing from nearly 3.7 million people in 2014 to 4.6 m ..read more