Cabrini Immigrant Services Makes a Difference

The following are two case studies of the important work being done at Cabrini Immigrant Services and how your support makes a major impact on those often overlooked in society. Editor’s Note: For this feature, the names of the individuals below have been changed.

Felipe

Felipe is a nine-year-old boy from a Mexican family, the third of six children. He is described by adults that work with him as sweet, kind, and extremely friendly. He is a talented artist and generous with his pictures; most of the staff at Cabrini Immigrant Services have his drawings on their desks and a visit to his school shows framed pictures drawn by Felipe on his teacher’s and counselor’s desks.

When asked what his favorite activities are besides drawing, Felipe says he likes going to the park and he “likes learning new things.” Like most immigrants, Felipe’s parents, Clara and Jose, came here to create a better life for their children and to provide them with the educational opportunities that were not available to them during their childhood in Mexico. Both parents only received a 3rd grade education and as a result cannot read or write in English or Spanish and are Spanish speaking only.

It was Clara that first noticed that Felipe was not progressing at the same rate as his classmates; his grades were falling, he had increasing difficulty with his work, and complained that he wasn’t learning. Due to the overcrowding in his public school, Felipe’s classes consisted of close to 40 children and he received little to no individual attention. Clara spoke to teachers about Felipe on a regular basis and even asked that he be evaluated for a learning disorder or for extra services. The school continued to insist that Felipe would “grow out of” his difficulties and blamed his development on being not focusing, being bilingual, and a myriad of other reasons that passed the buck along. Felipe. Despite constant advocacy and a high level of parent involvement, Felipe was left back in second grade. Like many immigrant parents, she felt her voice was getting lost in the disorganized and often daunting NYC public school system.

After being told that Felipe would be left back a second time, Clara came to Cabrini Immigrant Services asking for help advocating for her child. Through advocacy by her worker, CIS Director Christina Baal, Felipe received an educational evaluation and it was discovered that he was, indeed, learning disabled and performing at a kindergarten level. However, despite the city determining that he needed special services, the school kept sending Felipe to classrooms that were inappropriate for him stating there was no room in the kind of class that he needed. While navigating through the bureaucracy, Felipe spent another year in his overcrowded classroom and was told he would again have to repeat 2nd grade.

Felipe’s rights were clearly being violated and the law was clearly being broken. Christina contacted Jacklyn Okin, Attorney for New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. Through NYLPI’s extensive network of pro bono attorneys, Ms. Okin matched Clara up with Caryn Schechtman, Partner at DLA Piper, one of the largest legal service providers in the world whose clients include more than half of the Fortune 500. Ms Schechtman, herself the daughter of a special education teacher, approached this case with so much care and attention and alongside Christina and Clara fought for Felipe to receive all of the services that he was entitled to.

With the help of Ms. Schechtman and her team at DLA Piper, the Department of Education not only paid for Felipe to attend a state funded specialized school where he was now in a class of 8 students and 2 teachers, but they paid for additional after school tutoring services to help make up for all of the education he had not been provided with in the last several years. Felipe’s teachers report that his reading has increased by a grade level and a half and he is well on course to being back on grade level. Felipe’s self esteem has increased tremendously. His teachers state that at first, he was shy and but now is an outgoing, creative boy who has become a role model for the other students in his class. Clara feels relieved that her child is progressing so well. “I came to this country so he could succeed,” she says. “Now I feel like he has the opportunity to do that.

Midori

Midori came from Japan on a student visa to finish her studies and become a professional animal trainer, a profession she was drawn to from through her love of animals. During the summer after here first year here, she found an internship at a dog training camp through a friend of hers. Her new life in the states was exciting: she was working in a job she loved and making new friends.

At this camp she met Robert, an American man who had been hired as a teacher at the Camp. They had many of the same interests, had easy conversation, and developed feelings for each other quickly. Midori says during this first year, Robert was very sweet to her, often leaving her love notes and cards, celebrating holidays with her that otherwise made her feel homesick, and encouraging her to pursue her career. After dating for a year, Robert proposed and Midori happily accepted, excited to start their new life together here in the US where jobs in her field were so much more plentiful. They got married at a small ceremony at City Hall with their two closest friends as witnesses. They had a small reception at a nearby cafe.

Several months into the marriage, Robert began to change. They returned back to the camp where they met, Robert got another job as a teacher and Midori volunteered so they could live together. When Robert had a hard day, he would take it out on Midori, yelling at her about how stressed out he was. His temper became very short and he became easily irritated. On the way back, the couple stopped at an IKEA to pick out furniture for their new Brooklyn apartment. They argued in the store over what to buy and this infuriated Robert. He claimed that Midori had embarrassed him in front of everyone and dragged her out into the parking lot. He yelled at her, told her he was sick of her bossing him around, and smacked her. A guard at the store saw and called the police but Robert told her that if the police suspected anything, Midori could be deported. Midori lied when the police asked her if she feared her husband.

The violence continued on a regular basis after that incident. On different occasions Robert slammed Midori’s head against the dashboard when she gave him what he thought were wrong directions, and he broke her computer and threatened her dogs when he felt that she was “asking too many questions” about money. He also claimed he was too depressed to work yet spent all of Midori’s earnings. Once when she tried to create a budget for them, he spit in her face and choked her to stop her from talking. Midori was scared and miserable but believed him when he said he was sorry and he would get help. Robert threatened to kill himself if Midori ever left him. His mother had killed herself when he was 16 so Midori believed he would do it. She stayed with him because she thought he said she was the only thing keeping him alive.

One night when they were again at a camp traveling for work Robert and Midori again got into an argument. Robert was tired from a day from work and Midori’s dogs started jumping on him when he walked in the door. Robert blamed Midori for her dogs’ behavior and began to yell at her. His temper escalated, he threw her onto the bed and started to choke her with such force that Midori thought he would kill her. Midori ran out of the door of their dorm room and ran to a co-workers room for safety. Her co-worker told her that the whole camp had suspected the abuse and had created a plan for her to get out. They left the camp the next day and went to the West Coast where her co-worker had housing and a job for Midori.

Midori first called Cabrini Immigrant Services shortly after her marriage to Robert several years before and had maintained contact with us over the years. At that time we had informed her that through her marriage to Robert, she qualified for two-year conditional residence. Traditionally, a couple appears for an interview after the two years is up and the immigrant spouse is then given Legal Permanent Residence. At this time, we had informed Midori that as a survivor of domestic violence, she could apply to remove the conditions without Robert and that whenever she was ready, Cabrini Immigrant Services would help her with that process.

Midori called Christina Baal, Director of Cabrini Immigrant Services from the West Coast the day after she left him and said she was ready. She had had enough and wanted a life free from fear.

Over the next few months, Cabrini Immigrant Services provided counseling and legal services to Midori in an effort to help her re-stabilize her life. Together Christina and Midori contacted all of the people who had witnessed the abuse and asked them to write affidavits on her behalf, a process that helped Midori learn how many people had been worried and were willing to support her in her new life. They obtained the police reports from the IKEA incident in which she could see first hand that the officer believed she was in danger. Midori also wrote her own story for immigration, a process that proved to be healing for her and helped her to communicate for the first time what she had lived through. Midori used to always say “it isn’t that bad, I can handle it.” After reading her own story and the reactions of those who witnessed her abuse, she finally understood the horror she lived through and truly believed she deserved more.

Christina and Midori attended her immigration interview together this past May. The immigration officer granted Midori’s Legal Permanent Residence allowing her to stay in this country permanently, work in her profession, and, most importantly, not have to have any contact with Robert. She is now in the process of getting divorced from Robert and starting her own dog training class in Manhattan, the only of its kind offered in English and Japanese. She lives in her own apartment and enjoys her new independence. Midori’s story is an inspiration to all women who have ever suffered in silence and gives hope to others trying to break free from the cycle of abuse.

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