Today is #WorldRefugeeDay! We celebrate the presence of refugees in Indianapolis, the community organizations that support them, and the pro bono attorneys and interpreters who assist along the way. 

Refugees like new citizen Joe Rinah, whom we featured in our 2017 video: Walk A Mile in a Refugee's Shoes, are an essential part of the  Indianapolis community. Here's her story:

I came to the United State through the UN organization. My parents went to applied then we waited for the interview. After we passed the interview we waited for about 6 months for our medical check. After medical check it took about 6 months to come here if we don’t have any serious illness. We took a bus from our camp to Bangkok then we flew from Bangkok to Hong Kong. We switched to a new flight from Hong Kong to Chicago then another flight from Chicago and Indiana. As a refugee there’s a law for us to live in the United State at least 5 years before we apply for citizenship unless we’re married to a US citizen then we can apply as soon as 3 years. 

The process of becoming a citizen was very exciting for me. It wasn’t long because it took only 4-6 weeks to get an answer if your applications are approved or denied. Then another 4-6 weeks for biometric appointment and 4-6 weeks for the interview, then 4-6 weeks for oath ceremony and become a citizen. Mine was long because of the COVID-19. I expected a long interview (at least 30 minutes or more) and many questions to be asked but it wasn’t what I was expected. The interview was short and the lady that interviewed me was super nice, very professional and very polite. 

The director of COIN, Julie Sommers Neuman, a good friend of mine, was my lawyer. She helped me apply and went with me to the interview free of charge. She also helped me and my family applied for green card when we enter the US. Don’t know what we would do without her. 

Becoming a citizen has so many benefits for me. I can go back to visit Thailand and go visit other countries, I can vote, I can apply for more scholarships (some scholarships required you to be a citizen). I am very exciting to travel and I can’t wait to vote this year! 


Congratulations Joe Rinah! Happy #WorldRefugeeDay!

Today is the last day of Volunteer Appreciation Month, but our thankfulness extends all months of the year. Cara Weingartner, an Associate at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, has been a great help at all of the naturalization workshops. Cara is always eager to learn more about they community and those whom she meets. Thank you Cara!

Read Cara's story:

I am motivated to volunteer as I believe lawyers should utilize their skills to give back and help others in their community. Through the COIN Naturalization Clinics, I enjoy learning about community members’ incredible stories and being a small part of their journeys. COIN Network’s staff and volunteers are very welcoming. It has been great getting to know the clinic organizers and other volunteers.
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Today, COIN honors Brittney Sharp, Associate at Faegre Drinker. Brittney has been one of COIN's most dedicated volunteers. She is always willing to help others and brings energy and a willingness to test new application systems at workshops. Thank you Brittney for being part of the COIN network!

Hear why Brittney volunteers with COIN:

I am motivated to volunteer and provide pro bono legal services because I think lawyers have a responsibility to serve others in the community who are in need. I want to make a difference in people’s lives and help in areas that are outside of my day-to-day legal practice.

​I enjoy volunteering at the COIN Naturalization Clinics because I enjoy meeting face-to-face with a number of clients on the same day and also enjoy meeting their families and spouses who come with them to the clinics. You can really get to know someone and their past experiences when going through all of the questions on the Naturalization Application, which I think is fun and interesting! I also appreciate seeing so many familiar and friendly faces each time I volunteer at a COIN event.

Today, COIN honors another dynamic volunteer team: Swati and Oscar.

Together, Swati and Oscar have volunteered more than twelve times through the COIN network alone. We thank them for their dedication to the Indianapolis and COIN community. We are grateful for you! 

COIN is thankful to interact with many dedicated, kind, and compassionate volunteers. Today, we give thanks for Maria Pimentel-Gannon and Jack Gannon.

To Maria and Jack: We are grateful for your steadfast service, your generosity, and your commitment to the greater Indy community. From the COIN network, our well-wishes to you both. Thank you!

Hear Maria's story:
 
 "To whom much has been given, much is required." I feel that I have been given so many blessings,
like being bilingual in Spanish and English, living a bicultural life, and being multilingual in other languages, as well as having been blessed with a husband who believes in and supports my call to volunteerism and ministerial work. Therefore, I feel it is my responsibility to volunteer and to give back to others any way I can, any chance I can, and to do as much as I can. I believe it is the right thing to do. I believe in making life easier for others, when and if I can, and I believe in making this world a better place in which to live with the things over which I have control. I appreciate the opportunity to serve and I’m honored and grateful to have the physical and mental ability to serve.

I feel very blessed and grateful to interact with other people and organizations that are like-minded in caring for and meeting the needs of a community that is too often marginalized, that is often voiceless, and that needs compassionate and non-judgmental assistance in maneuvering their way through our sometimes complicated systems, rules, laws, and expectations. In addition, I always enjoy the camaraderie of our gatherings!


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Hear Jack's story: 
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I want to use what limited attorney skills I have in immigration law to help my fellow citizens of the world. I feel good to have the ability and the potential to help someone with their legal needs, thereby making all my time studying, many sleepless nights, and  grueling schedule of working full-time, being a student, and being a new Dad most worthwhile. The COIN director and staff have always been very gracious and welcoming. One of the things that I like the most is that the director and the staff have always expressed gratitude and appreciation any time and for anything I have done to help.

Are you someone looking for immigration news updates and don't know where to go to get them? Recently, it feels like breaking news and immigration law changes are happening several times a day. It can be hard, and frankly disheartening, to keep up, especially when news media outlets can be so polarizing. COIN consistently uses a few different resources to gain information, share with our partners, and hear the news. Here they are: 

1. American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA): AILA is a great resource for those who want to learn and to hear about immigration law and advocacy because it is a national association of immigration attorneys. They often provide information on court decisions, activism opportunities, and legal trainings. You can check out their website here to learn more. 
2. The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC): the NIJC is similar to AILA in that it provides legal information and shares news articles regarding the changes and injustices in that area. They are active in Indiana and throughout the Midwest so also sometimes provide local news on court cases and migrant communities. They have legal trainings available on their website for those who wish to educate themselves, and they can also host volunteers in a variety of ways. More information on NIJC can be found here. 
3. Jesuit Refugee Services USA (JRS/USA): JRS is an international organization that helps to resettle refugees, and they also created the concept of "Walk a Mile in a Refugee's Shoes" (click here to see more on that). They often provide stories of refugees that they interact with, and they share information about refugee resettlement, the politics thereof, and statements from Pope Francis about refugees. Their social media is a great place to look for refugee advocacy and news and their website, which can be found here, provides more information about what they do and more. 
4. National Immigration Forum/Noorani's Notes: the National Immigration Forum advocates for immigrant rights and responsible immigration policies. They provide updates on research, fact sheets about immigrants in the United States, and responses to legal activity. Ali Noorani, the executive director, sends daily email updates to subscribers with more news and information, including links to outside articles. You can sign up for Noorani's Notes here, and check out the National Immigration Forum's website here. 
5. National Public Radio (NPR): Finally, NPR is a great resource for immigration news. They often have immigration attorneys, CBP employees, and government officials on shows and they are able to provide a wide variety of perspectives and stories. They also have a good ratio of political versus personal stories, mixing the heartfelt with the heartbreaking. You can find some stories here. 

This is by no means an exhaustive list of immigration resources; these are simply the ones that COIN uses consistently. We encourage you to check these out if you would like to learn more and to always continue educating yourself. It is important that we pay attention so that we can remain and become compassionate advocates for immigrants and refugees. 

Every Monday, COIN shares a quote to start the week off. Quotes about immigration, mental health, civil society, and even Hamilton lyrics, have been shared. Each is important and they all relate to COIN's mission, but some weeks the quote hits a little closer to home. 
This week's quote, "The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks; the long day wanes; the slow moon climbs; the deep moans round with many voices. Come, my friends, 'tis not too late to seek a newer world" comes from Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Ulysses". While this is not a usual source of material for COIN's quotes, with news of the caravan of migrants at our country's border, this quote took on a special meaning. 
Several hundred migrants have traveled hundreds of miles as part of a pilgrimage to reach the Mexican-American border in order to seek asylum. Many are escaping violence and persecution in their home; the dangerous journey to America is a way for them to "seek a newer world". 
How many of us would have the courage to leave our homes and families, travel across Mexico, and stand on the doorsteps of the world's most powerful country? How many of us would be brave enough to seek a newer world? 
Let us continue to act for and with those who are brave enough; not just for those in the caravan, but also those who traveled alone, for the children who made that journey, and for the families, both in America and south of the border. Let us welcome them into a newer world. Let us build a newer world, together. 


Click here to learn more about one woman's journey with the caravan. 
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I owe my life in America to chain migration. 
Just like countless others, my ancestors came to the United States as immigrants from Ireland in the mid- to late 19th century. They came in waves and settled in Chicago, the hub of industry and immigrants in the Midwest, so that they could build a better life for themselves, their children, their grandchildren, and, eventually, me. And as it so often happens, they came in chains of siblings across the years until their families were established in their new American community. 
This is not an unusual genealogical story; ask anyone walking down the street about where their family comes from and they will probably tell you a similar tale. That is what makes America's history so rich- almost every person comes from somewhere else. The traditions and cultures and celebrations that we love were brought here by families seeking opportunities and building communities. 
Today's immigrant families are no different. One person comes to America to find a job and save money. Maybe they come to flee violence and persecution in their home country. They find a job and experience American culture (for good or bad) and tell their sibling, mother, cousin to come as well. They rebuild their family and establish themselves. They contribute to society, have children, honor the traditions of their home country, and yearn for those who could not join them in their new country. If that sounds familiar, it is because it is my family's story. And maybe yours, too. 
So many of us owe so much to our ancestors who traveled here in search of something better; oftentimes, that "something better" is not what they had in mind. Immigrating may mean opportunity, but it also means leaving so much behind. 
Maybe 100 years from now, our descendants will be sharing their genealogical stories, thanking their ancestors and chain migration for their lives in America. 

​As a coalition of nonprofit providers in Indianapolis serving immigrants and refugees, “doing one thing” for migrants and refugees does not just impact them, or us, or our organization, but our entire community.
“Doing one thing” may mean hosting a Know Your Rights or Family Safety Planning night, where immigrant families can learn about their rights and how to create a safety plan in case of detention or deportation. The impact, the security, starts with the family, who is now armed with the information and tools to protect themselves in such an unfortunate situation. The impact then grows to the coworkers and employers, to the teachers and fellow students, to law enforcement, to the grocery store the family frequents, to their place of worship. “Doing one thing” creates change.
“Doing one thing” can mean placing a sign of support in your front yard, proclaiming “I’m glad you’re my neighbor,” providing a sense of welcome in a sometimes-unwelcoming world. It can mean visiting businesses created by immigrants, attending ceremonies celebrating culture, smiling and making eye contact with the immigrant woman who rides your bus and wears a hijab. It can mean starting a conversation with her. “Doing one thing” creates relationships.
“Doing one thing” can mean hosting “Walk a Mile in a Refugee’s Shoes,” a simulation of a refugee’s life in a camp, showing a willingness to learn about and support those for whom it was real. It can mean educating others through both actions and words, having empathy for all, standing in solidarity. It can mean inspiring others around the country and around the world to do the same. “Doing one thing” creates community.
“Doing one thing” does not just mean that you are doing one thing. It means that doing something kind, loving someone because they are human, showing respect because they deserve it, goes beyond you and your neighbor. It may be as simple as doing exactly one thing, but often times a simple, single action can affect an entire community.
Our home and our organization has been impacted by “doing one thing” because we are creating change, building relationships, and strengthening our community. The simple task of “doing one thing” creates a trend of commitment to kindness and solidarity in others until eventually, hopefully not far in the future, it is the norm. Migrants and refugees face many difficult challenges both in their journey to a new home and afterwards, so it often seems that the most we can do in the face of overwhelming ignorance and resistance is one thing. One day at a time. 

The Coalition for Our Immigrant Neighbors brought together over 400 people at its “Walk a Mile in a Refugee’s Shoes” event on July 23rd, 2017. COIN is now pleased to share a documentary of that simulation portraying the experiences that many refugees encounter each day. Please click here to view the video.
COIN would like to thank Jesuit Refugee Service USA and the Jewish Community Center Indianapolis as well as our many sponsors for their immense contributions to the success of the event, and Road Pictures for creating a beautiful video. COIN cherishes its community partnerships and appreciates each organization and dedicated volunteer who participated in the day.
The Coalition for Our Immigrant Neighbors is a coalition of service providers working together to facilitate and coordinate community efforts to provide legal, psychological and other services for immigrants in Central Indiana.

As COIN begins hosting a round of Family Safety Planning clinics, you may be wondering just what is a "family safety plan" and why is COIN hosting these events? These are good questions, and during times of uncertainty is it important to gain as much information as possible to help yourself and your neighbors.
Family safety plans primarily help families with parents at risk of deportation or detention; at the events, guests meet with attorneys to create temporary guardianship and power of attorney forms. These forms are notarized and guests leave with a prepared plan and protection for their family, all at no cost. 
These plans are important for those at risk of deportation or detention to have in order to protect families; while we hope that the family safety plans created at our events are never used, COIN wishes to help provide extra security and peace of mind for immigrant parents in the Indianapolis area.
For Family Safety Planning Clinic dates and times, please click here. ​