Catholic Legal Services

Cuban/Haitian Refugee Entrant Program - CCLS provides services to Cuban/ Haitian nationals to gain work authorization, legal residency and utltimately put them on a path towards citizenship. The purpose of the program is to assist refugees to achieve economic self-sufficiency and social adjustment within the shortest possible time after their arrival in the United States. In FY 2023, we provided 2,735 services under the Refugee Assistance Program.

NATZ and Community Outreach - Presentations are presented at adult education centers and other community sites on the naturalization application process and other immigration issues. Application workshops and referrals to probono attorneys are provided Additionally, CCLS provides a computer lab where naturalization applicants are able to complete their own naturalization applications using an online software product. CCLS worked collaboratively with partners to host a virtual citizenship clinic to assist eligible lawful permanent residents apply for naturalization. The CIRCLE collaborative served more than 2,047 individuals throuthout 41 clinics countywide. Our office served more than 2,364 individuals of varying nationalities and completed more than 1992 applications. The MIAMI NAC facilitated the naturalization process to nearly 750 individuals. More than 150 particpants benefited from the intensive citizenship education through our collaboration with MDCPS.

Legal Orientation/Detention Program - CCLS educates detainees in their immigration and legal rights. The program strives to educate immigrants that are detained so they can be prepared to represent themselves should the need arise. CCLS provides 1)US immigration laws orientation to detainees both individually and in small groups, 2)workshops which assist unrepresented detainees in helping themselves in pursuing legal relief, including collecting legal documents and preparing papers, and 3) recruitment, training and mentoring to pro bono attorneys to represent detainees. Building on the expertise of program, CCLS provides pro bono representation to detainees found to be mentally incompetent to represent themselves in removal proceedings. More than 2,500 detainees received legal orientation. Additionally, CCLS has represented detained individuals found to be mentally incompetent.

Women and Children Project/Unaccompanied Minors Project - CCLS provides free legal assistance to women and children to obtain legal status under the Violence Against Women Act and other statutes and refers them for job assistance and other social services. CCLS provides services to meet the needs of unaccompanied children (UCs) in the Miami Immigration Court. The program educates custodians of UCs of applicable programs and laws intended to protect the UCs from mistreatment, exploitation and trafficking, and inform the custodians of available resources to assist UCs in this respect. Additionally, CCLS represents UCs who have been released from immigration detention.

General Immigration Assistance Program and Other Special Projects Low cost and probono immigration assistance to clients who lack sufficient means. Know Your Rights (KYR) presentations to recent arrival Haitain Migrants. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans and Haitians. In FY23, we provided 6,728 services including employment authorization, tps applications, know your rights presentations, humanitarian parloes and residency applications.

Access to Justice Programs CCLS provides programs for individuals to assistindividuals to access the complex immigration bureucracy, focusing on those in immigration court. Services include 1) group orientations explaining the removal process, including potential forms of relief from removal; 2)individual legal orientation tailored to an individual's particular set of circumstances; 3) assistance with forms and simple motions; and 4) referral to probono attorneys. ICH, FGLOP and LOPC served 7299 participants, 172 families, and 751 individuals, respectively.

Project LABRE - This program serves the immigration needs of the local homeless population and the medically needy, and other vulnerable populations. Because of the program's assistance, they can secure work permits and residency cards which allow them to work, live independently, and access desperately needed social services. In FY23, we provided 1900 services including consultations, residency and asylum applications, and work permits. In FY23, our office directly represented 70 new cases and maintained 118 previous cases for Children and Young adults.