Nations Law Group Offers Immigration Law Advice
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe hosted a free conference for Spanish speakers in Anchorage regarding legal advice on immigration law. The parish is considered to have one of the largest Hispanic communities in the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau.
“It looked like quite a few folks, many from the parish took advantage of this,” said Father Hank Grodecki, pastor of the Cathedral, via email on March 4. “(The Cathedral) tries to host consulate reps and legal assistance entities for our diverse population from Latin America.” Nations Law Group, a law firm in Anchorage, ran the conference after Spanish Mass on Sunday, Feb. 25. Lara Nations and Nicolas Olano led the discussion, which was spoken in Spanish. “We have engaged communities about immigration throughout our legal careers,” Nations said via email on March 1. “The Cathedral has a large Hispanic community that needs information and services in Spanish.” “As an immigrant myself, I know how difficult it is to find the right help on immigration matters. That is why we do conferences like this,” Olano said. Olano was born in Colombia. He was brought up in the Catholic Church with a Jesuit education. After having the opportunity to study in the U.S., Olano said he decided to make this country his new home. “This decision started a long path as an immigrant and, eventually, an immigration attorney,” he said. “I know firsthand how hard it is to be an immigrant and navigate the immigration process.” The law firm’s work has helped both attorneys stay connected to the local Hispanic community of Anchorage, which is how they met Lina Mariscal, a well-known advocate for Hispanic communities across the state. She publishes Anchorage’s monthly Spanish-English newspaper, “Sol de Medianoche,” which began in 2016. She also helps facilitate multiple grants for Hispanic-oriented events and programs for her community. Mariscal was born in Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. later in life. She officially moved to Alaska in 1983. Mariscal helped facilitate the law firm’s conference at the Cathedral, according to Nations. “I have had a working relationship with Our Lady of Guadalupe for many years as a good portion of our community belongs to that parish,” Mariscal said via email on March 5. “I reached out to John Flemming to make sure we could have the clinic and to check availability ... I also asked that they announce the clinic after Mass to make sure everyone was aware.” The Feb. 25 conference saw about 35 people attend, Mariscal said, approximately 80 percent of which were members of the Cathedral. “We had the event on a Sunday after Mass to ensure people were already on site and did not have to come back,” she said. “Our event was conducted in Spanish to make sure people understood the information — same reason Sol de Medianoche is published bilingually — and were able to ask questions in their own language, (and be) able to express their thoughts and feelings.” Mariscal said the goal of the event was to “inform the community with accurate information” to protect them from people “who are motivated by money and do not really care about their wellbeing.” “We have people in our community taking advantage of the need for legal services and information,” she said. In Latin America, Mariscal explained that a “notario,” translated to notary in English, is an attorney legally qualified to handle various legal processes for people and publicly certifies facts and actions that occur in their presence. Unlike in Latin America, in the U.S., a notary can only certify signatures on documents. “Because they have the same title, people believe their function is the same. So, they trust and seek their advice because (it) is less expensive than that of an attorney,” she said. “Unfortunately, some notarios (notaries) take advantage of this, and not only do they charge a lot for their advice and filling out applications for them, they also give bad advice which can be very harmful in some instances.” An asylum seeker is a status given to refugees. Refugee status or asylum may be granted to people who have been persecuted or fear they will be persecuted on account of race, religion, nationality, and/or membership in a particular social group or political opinion, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Asylum status is designated for people who meet the definition of refugee and are already in the U.S. or seeking admission at a port of entry. “We spoke about asylum, the process in the U.S. for recent arrivals, and who they should go to for help with immigration,” Nations said. One common misconception about the immigration processes the attorneys shared is that successful immigration is more than just filling out forms. “It is the most complicated area of law — as per the U.S. Supreme Court,” Nations said. “For that reason, it is important that people get the right help.” Upon the presentation’s conclusion, Nations and Olano sat down with atten- dees individually to discuss their particular cases privately. When asked if the law firm took on any new clients as a result of the conference, Nations said they had not. “It is sad to say, but a lot of the people who come to see us have no case and there is nothing we can do for them,” she said. “Still, it is important for them to know there is no legal recourse available so that they do not waste money or fall prey to someone who sells them false hope. It’s a hard reality with immigration law.” Mariscal was grateful to Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and its administrators for hosting the event. “I appreciate the willingness of (the Cathedral) to provide a safe space for us,” she said. “I know they, like myself, care about our community.” |
