HRI is excited to announce Veronica Gonzalez as Director of Social Services. Learn more about her passion for the department, how they support our clients, and how you can get involved below. What excites you about your new role as Director of Social Services? VG: I am absolutely thrilled about my recent promotion to Director of […]
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HRI’s Social Services Department Announces Summer Program, 2022!
The Social Services department is hosting it’s “Youth Empowerment Program” this summer, in which high school students (or recent grads) will come together to talk about their goals, applying for college and scholarships, and exploring different career paths. Most of HRI’s youth clients do not have parents or family-members who received college education, and do not […]
Read MoreHRI CONNECT Program Event Announced!
Register for the link – Regístrate para obtener el enlace – Inscrivez-vous pour obtenir le lien: https://bit.ly/hri-5-23 The challenges we have faced can have lasting impacts on our minds and bodies. Learn more about how our experiences can impact us and what we can do on our own to help work through them. Our presenter […]
Read MoreAsylum Backlogs Wreak Havoc with Our Clients’ Lives, Parts 1 & 2
Check out Christine Mansour’s featured AILA piece discussing the impact of the asylum backlog on HRI clients. http://www.ailaleadershipblog.org/2016/12/13/asylum-backlogs-wreak-havoc-with-our-clients-lives-part-1/ http://www.ailaleadershipblog.org/2016/12/14/asylum-backlogs-wreak-havoc-with-our-clients-lives-part-2/
Read MoreIt’s a Process
Jackie + Frank VAWA is a federal law meant to protect undocumented immigrant survivors of domestic abuse by allowing them to apply for immigration relief without the assistance of their abusive spouse. Jackie’s ex-husband, Frank, abused her physically, sexually, verbally, and psychologically for nearly 20 years. Jackie was born in Mexico, but moved to […]
Read MoreThese Are Times That Try Men
“These are times that try men’s souls.” -Thomas Paine Those words were penned by Thomas Paine during the American Revolution. There are eras where people’s characters are tested and this seems to be one of those times. When you look back at history, you see many examples of people who went against […]
Read MoreOn the Wrong Side of History
HRI condemns yesterday’s decision by Governor Greg Abbott that Texas is withdrawing from the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program as of October 1, 2016. This does not mean that Texas will no longer resettle refugees, just that Texas will not administer the program that coordinates their resettlement and the limited but crucial social and support services […]
Read MoreLife or Death in Political Asylum
Last month, an Immigration Judge in El Paso granted political asylum to a man fleeing from the cartels in Juarez. Eleven members of his family had been executed after refusing to pay the cartel money. Historically, those fleeing Mexican cartels or Central American gangs have had a difficult time establishing their refugee status. However, we […]
Read MoreHRI Receives Grant for Emergency Housing Pilot Program
The Baron and Blue Foundation recently granted $5,000 to Human Rights Initiative towards our Emergency Housing Pilot Program with Reconciliation Outreach of Dallas. HRI provides social services to our clients and one of the most pressing issues is housing. HRI often struggles to find a reliable, safe resource for clients’ housing. Most shelters offer only temporary […]
Read MoreFederal Immigration Court Backlogs Despite Increase in Judges
A recently released report from the Justice Department found that government isn’t effectively handling the caseload in the federal immigration courts, despite a surge in the number of judges working on the cases. From 2006-2010, new immigration cases rose from 308,652 to 325,326. During the same time, the number of immigration cases completed declined from […]
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