SALT LAKE CITY – Catholics and non-Catholics seeking information and guidance about immigration reform and similar issues have different sources that they can rely on. Holy Cross Ministries, through their immigration department, routinely answers the questions that people may have about this issue. They also offer regular informative sessions that are open and free to the public throughout the State of Utah. "We are participating with Enriching Utah Coalition, which brings together a wide variety of advocacy organizations to help raise awareness in Utah’s communities of the value that immigrants bring to our neighborhoods," said Holy Cross Sister Veronica Fajardo, who works in Holy Cross Ministries’ immigration department to help victims of violence and their families attain legal status in the United States. "We also have had informative night at the Mexican Consulate," she said. Trying to keep the community posted about new information and clarifying the doubts that people have has become a daily task for Sr. Veronica. "We want to make sure that they understand that there is no law yet; this is a proposal," she said. While the proposed immigration law is being debated in Congress, the Holy Cross immigration department is informing immigrants of the benefits that already are available to them. "One of them is the Dream Act, which is still alive. Once a month we are offering workshops about this so the youth can take advantage of it," said Sr. Veronica, adding that another law approved last year gives certain immediate relatives of U.S. citizens the right to request provisional waivers. One of the most important of Sr. Veronica’s duties, as she sees it, is to let people know that they need to be careful and not let others mislead them about the proposed immigration law. She also urges people to support efforts to change the existing law. "Right now, what we can do to be prepared is keeping in touch with our [elected] representatives and inform them that we all care about this. Don’t lose the faith. Keep trying to make your voice heard. Support the effort. We are going to keep searching for ways to advocate," said Sr. Veronica. Catholic Community Services also offers immigration services. "We offer a variety of services for community assistance," said Danielle Stamos, public relations and marketing coordinator for CCS. Among the services are evaluation of people’s status and providing assistance such as family reunification applications, extensions of stay, replacement of permanent residence cards, work permits, naturalization certificates, inquiries for status of cases, adjustment of status, acquisition of green cards, and translation and interpretation services to individuals and families in the immigration process. CCS’ staff is bilingual Spanish/English and Vietnamese/English, Stamos said. The Mexican Consulate is located at 1380 S. Main St., Salt Lake City. For information, call 801-521-8502. Holy Cross Ministries can be reached at 801-261-3440 or www.holycrossministres.com. CCS is located in 745 East 300 South, Salt Lake City. For information call 801-977-9119.
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