It is not a mystery that in the current political climate, immigrant communities are under attack. Now more than ever, the work of supportive institutions is extremely important.
The Immigration Project is a Central Illinois nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that supports immigrants and their families through many aspects of the immigration and naturalization process throughout downstate Illinois. They have been operating for over 30 years. They serve 86 counties with offices in Bloomington, Champaign and Springfield and are in the process of setting up an office in Kankakee.
Dr. Jessica Nicholas, the managing advocate for the Community Legal Access Workshops Program for the Immigration Project, explained the structure and the mission of her organization, which is to “provide immigration legal services to low-income immigrants.” TIP has both a legal and a social services branch, both focusing on different yet equally important aspects of the process. Dr. Nicholas described them as “two wings to the same bird,” explaining that people often need the two wings to fully support themselves.
The legal wing of the Immigration Project offers a comprehensive list of services covering almost every area of immigration law, including helping individuals apply for asylum, green cards, special visas for victims, Temporary Protected Status and naturalization. It also offers services for DACA individuals (deferred action for childhood arrivals) and family-based petitions. The operation is continuously adapting to the needs of its constituency, offering a multitude of services that are constantly growing.
Meanwhile, the social services wing provides food assistance and mental health services (including one of the only Spanish-speaking mental health professionals in the county). The social services side of the Immigration Project also works to alleviate housing security, sign kids up for school and make healthcare connections for clients.
Dr. Nicholas also talked about the security and benefits that come from citizenship. “The naturalization application itself is something I find to be a very interesting piece of historical and identity information about what we write about American society,” Nicholas said.
Recent changes in funding and policy have created more stress on the organization, especially as these changes happen very rapidly. Long days and weekends have been spent where applications must be sent before the changes are implemented. This situation, including the pause on applications of 49 different nationalities, has led to many individuals being stuck in limbo. Dr. Nicholas voiced frustration at the struggle to organize in such a fluid situation but stated that although “it’s a really stressful time to be working in immigration law, it’s also a very important time to be working in immigration law.”
The organization has recently had to move some of its workshops online due to many participants’ fears but continues to offer a mix of in-person and online workshops. Still, the support from the Bloomington-Normal community is unwavering in the face of these challenges.
Dr. Nicholas has been with TIP since 2017, starting with the Immigration Project as a volunteer during her time as a doctoral student, and stepped into her full-time role three years ago after being a secondary language educator. “I want to help as many people as I can with the gifts I’ve been given,” Nicholas said, “and I can help more people here than I could, even as a teacher.” Since taking her position, over 500 citizen applications have been submitted.
While Dr. Nicholas’ work with the Immigration Project comes with many fast-paced challenges, she emphasizes how fulfilling it ultimately is. Her favorite part is hearing the amazing stories of the people she helps and the welcoming community she gets to foster. She explains that even a small piece of seemingly unimportant work is always part of a larger ecosystem to help one gain citizenship. She expressed her excitement when she gets to help people “cross that last finish line.”
If you wish to get involved with the non-profit, you can reach out to the Volunteer Coordinator at volunteercoordinator@immigrationproject.org, or visit their website https://www.immigrationproject.org/get-involved/.
