August 2022

An interview with Catholic Charities' Immigration Legal Services (ILS) attorney, Miryam Antúnez De Mayolo. 

1. Can you provide a little bit of background about your career as an immigration attorney, and how you decided to enter this specialty?
I am originally from Peru, where I briefly practiced law at the equivalent of the Securities and Exchange Commission.  I came to the US in 1991 after marrying a New Yorker that I met in Lima.

I had been to the U.S. before (for tourism), I was educated, I had a green card, I spoke English, but to this day, leaving my country and settling in a new, cold land, far from my family and friends was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. If it was hard for me, I thought, how hard is the immigrant experience for those who come here with none of the advantages I had? How hard is it for someone who kisses her mom and dad good-bye, not knowing if they will be reunited again? How hard is it for people who do the jobs that nobody else wants to do, who work two or three jobs so that they can send some money home, while building a life here? Those people are the reason why I chose to practice immigration law after graduating from the U of Iowa Law School in 1998.
 
I was in private practice from 1999 to 2018, when I started at Catholic Charities and, in many ways, this is the best job I've ever had, because it allows me to serve those who need help the most.
 
2. What does your work look like on a daily/weekly basis as an immigration attorney?
I meet with potential clients for consultations almost every day. Through the years, I have met with people from all walks of life: from people with Ph.Ds to illiterate individuals living in extreme poverty. It is extremely important to me that each person who has a consultation walks out of it knowing and understanding his or her case. I draw charts, make drawings, and I use my white board a lot!
 
One of the best parts of my job is when I see a light in a potential clients' eyes, when they "get it". Even when they have no case, people are so thankful to know the truth, so that they cannot be taken advantage of, so that they can plan their lives accordingly. The remainder of my time is devoted to working in existing cases, and representing clients in meetings with the Department of Homeland Security in Des Moines, or with Immigration Court, in Omaha.
 
3. What areas in the Archdiocese do you travel to in order to provide services?
I go to Marshalltown every two weeks, where I have back-to-back consultations. 
 
4. Why are services so expensive by going through a private attorney vs. ILS*? 
Because immigration law is extremely complex. I believe that it is considered the most complex area of the law after tax law. There are many sources of immigration law: statutes, administrative decisions and memoranda, case law from different jurisdictions. Immigration lawyers often deal with several federal entities: the Department of Labor, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State and the Department of Justice. 

* Catholic Charities' ILS fees are 80% less expensive than most private attorney's rates; ILS fees are intended to be affordable to help vulnerable clients who cannot afford private attorney rates.

5. What do you wish more people knew about Immigration Legal Services?
I wish they knew of the amazing quality of the immigration legal services lawyers and staff at Catholic Charities.  Since I've been here, Yer Vang (Director of Catholic Charities' Immigration Legal Services) has put together a greatly talented team, with attorneys who came from practicing other areas of the law, but who learned very fast, brought different strengths but shared a commitment to fight for those who need us the most. Our support, multilingual staff is also extremely professional, knowledgeable and devoted to our mission. 

6. Why does the process of immigration/receiving a status change take so long?
Unfortunately, not everybody qualifies to acquire status, and the process for those who qualify can take several years due to the fact that our immigration system is obsolete. We had the bracero program for decades. Under that program, people used to come here to work, then go back home to be with their families. This changed after the draconian measures adopted in 1997 with the passage of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigant Responsibility Act (IRAIRA). This law created new bars and punishments for minor violations. We urgently need immigration reform, which unfortunately has become a political issue.

7. What do you wish people knew about immigration and immigration law?
I wish they knew that:
a) Being here undocumented (I refuse to call human beings "illegal") is NOT A CRIME, but a violation of administrative law.
b) About half of people who are undocumented came here LEGALLY, not through the border.
c) People who come here fleeing persecution from their home countries and ask for asylum at the border are NOT BREAKING THE LAW. They are availing themselves of a legal process that is part of our law and international law. 
d) Undocumented immigrants RECEIVE NO PUBLIC BENEFITS. They are ineligible to receive welfare, SNAP, Medicaid, Medicare. 
e) The vast majority of people who seek asylum at the border present themselves at their court hearings.
f) Immigrants are far less likely to commit crimes than U.S. citizens.*

* Souce: a peer-reviewed study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), found here.

If you have additional questions about Catholic Charities' Immigration Legal Services, contact Jeff Schneider at jeff.schneider@dbqarch.org or by calling (563) 556-2580.