“You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast.
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this.”
This
country song, “You’re Gonna Miss This” by Trace Adkins comes to mind when I
start to think about my time here in Miami. It has come and gone, but will
truly have a special place in my heart. From hearing salsa music outside the
law firm office one day while working with an attorney on a residency
application for a domestic violence victim to having my daily cortadito to our weekly Publix runs, I
cannot help to feel like I am actually half Cuban and that am a part of this city
and culture. Being here in Miami has allowed me to really delve deep into its
many different cultures and has made me even more proud of my own. At the
beginning of our time here in Miami, our site coordinator, asked me if I feel
Cuban yet. I can for sure say that I do now. I have figured out that I feel
Cuban through the little things: the dialect, the food, Spanish everywhere you
look, the slower pace of life, the music, the cigars, the elderly who remind me
of Cuban grandparents, the perfume we got in a thank you good bag from Unidad,
and the coffee.
The chill, laid–back beach attitude
that is prone to some parts of Miami is quickly juxtaposed with just a quick
trip over the bridge to the bustling downtown life and even more with at least
an hour long bus ride to any of the little neighborhoods in Miami. It
definitely has the best of both worlds, with a couple of extra things thrown in
such as the amazing food I cannot get enough of and the constant Spanglish
everywhere you turn. The mentality of “it’s cool to be Latino” is something
that I find resonating everywhere, along with the liveliness and cultural
diversity that abounds.
It
makes me think though that at some times in our life, the rose-colored glasses
are appropriate to see the world in and will match the outfit of the day, but
at other times it is not at all. Immersing ourselves in all of the different
areas of Miami, whether that be through the work that we do and/or the group
outings we have, have allowed us to see all of Miami’s true colors. Can this be
said especially for the immigrants, the ones whose cases I flip through,
organize, and familiarize myself with on a daily basis, based on which project
I have been tasked with that day? Some of the stories I have heard kill me,
because they are so heartbreaking and real world problems.
Such
was the case of a young Haitian girl, for whom Karina and I were preparing an
asylum application. Her parents moved to the US after the earthquake and left
her to live with family in the Dominican Republic, where she experienced great
hardships. When her parents found out, they moved her to live with family back
in Haiti, where she ended up working as a domestic servant or
"restavek" in the family’s home. She had to do numerous chores, did
not go to school, and was not allowed to eat until her chores were done. She
became very ill and her hair started to fall out. Eventually, she escaped that
terrible situation, and now faces possible removal. In an asylum application,
one has to include country reports and conditions to show the adjudicator that
what your client is reporting to you actually happens and that there are real
problems and facts to back it up. We had to do a lot of research and find PDFs
and articles to support the argument. We learned a lot along the way, which
made it really difficult when we actually met the young girl in person. At
sixteen she had been through so much already and was so proficient in English
too. It was a really humbling experience knowing her background story and doing
research to show that this horrible situation happens in Haiti frequently. This
human connection is what draws me in to this type of work and to being of
service. If she gets approved, which is probably likely according to the
attorney, we played a small role in saving her life.
A
similar instance happened when another attorney asked me to create a cover
letter for a Violence Against Women (VAWA) Visa. This means that a person who
was the victim of domestic violence or any other kind of abuse by a US citizen
can apply for residency through a special kind of application. I was in charge
of making sure all of the needed documents were accounted for and proved that
the client was a victim of domestic abuse. Reviewing all of the police reports
of multiple incidences of violence was really difficult and challenging. It is
hard working with such a heart wrenching story and then interacting with the
lady's daughters. It puts a lot of things into perspective and makes the
lawyers more admirable in the way that they have to deal with such complex
cases and be there for their clients.
Another
highlight of my time at CLS was being in charge of making the calls for the
LOPC (Legal Orientation Program for Custodians of Unaccompanied Minors) Charla. It is a group discussion given
by one of the lawyers about the rights of unaccompanied minors, the options
they have in getting their residency, and the process of it all. Each day this
week we made around fifteen to twenty calls a day, all in Spanish, informing
families and/or the minor's sponsor of the time, date, location, and other
specifics about the charla. We would
also text them the important information. This is a really cool opportunity
because it places us right in the middle of the controversial issue surrounding
unaccompanied minors that is happening right now. When we would call, some of
the people would begin to tell me their whole life stories, essentially trying
to convince me to take their case, but I'm not a lawyer so I can't, and/or they
would tell me how they live really far away and cannot get off work. I then
feel compelled to help them even more, but there is unfortunately only so much
we as an organization can do.
Being
here at Catholic Legal Services has taught me more about the inner workings of
our legal system, and especially about immigration law, than I thought I would
ever know. It is learning by doing essentially. I did not realize how much
immigration law transfers over into and impacts so many other disciplines, such
as in public health. If I decide to become a doctor and/or go into global
health, knowing more about these issues will help to even better fully
understand the person I am treating and what they are going through.
A very
wise and special man once told me, and continues to tell me on a daily basis,
that:
“If
you do the right thing, you will never miss a thing.”
This
is essentially something that I strive to live by everyday. After my eight
weeks here, I can say that I was here to do service and that I did service in
every sense of the word, whether that be making nametags for a conference,
encouraging a high school student to apply to college, or possibly helping
someone not get removed. Thank you to staff at Unidad for teaching me what it
really means to be a part of the family style work atmosphere, those at
Catholic Legal Services for giving me a crash course in immigration law and
lifee, and to my fellow DukeEngagers for giving me someone to hang out with
while here (shout out to my ladies of Apartment 1717)! ¡Hasta pronto Miami!
Con amor,
La
Mexicube
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