By Laurie LaMarca
Juana wandered into Taller de Jose after hearing about our services from a friend of her church. She was not sure Taller de Jose could be helpful, but decided to try anyway.
Juana’s son was having trouble completing his immigration application for residency. Her son lived far away, in rural Illinois, and was unable to find supportive legal services in his small town. Thus, Juana came to Taller de Jose for legal information that could support her son. I listened to her story and was warmed by love for her family. I gave her three referrals for places that provide immigration support. She admitted she felt nervous to make the phone calls and was concerned about explaining the complicated situtation to the lawyers. I suggested we call the agencies together and she happily agreed. We made two phone calls. While one agency took a message, the other was able to connect us directly to an intake worker. We sat together, with the phone on speaker, and answered the questions of the immigration agency. She was advised to bring her son to see an immigration attorney for further support.
When Juana left, we were both very happy to have met each other and to have taken a step together to further the immigration petition of her family. She called a week later to express her gratitude and we chatted happily about her son’s positive reaction. I was also delighted and proud to hear that Taller de Jose was able to accompany this wonderful family along the path of finding orientation to supportive services.
