Social Justice Internship: Experiential Learning within

Immigrant Advocacy
Matt Sanchez, The Catholic Charities Immigration and
Naturalization Services
What is Social Justice? Loyola University Chicago Class of 2018
From my personal experience serving as a social justice intern, I found that social justice is primarily centered on tenets of social equality, equal economic opportunity, and universal humanity. Importantly,
these social justice tenets serve to ensure that all individuals receive equal rights and opportunities from the society within which they reside. In other words, social justice is the work and effort that aims to
provide socially marginalized communities adequate public resources, and the protection of their civil and human rights as compared to non-marginalized communities. Social justice work can come in
numerous forms, but it comes down to contributing to, and creating, a more egalitarian society. Since serving as a social justice intern and enrolling within the corresponding EXPL 390 course of the
internship program, my definition of social justice has significantly transformed. Furthermore, I credit this transformation to the reality that I received experiential learning in which I applied the studies from
my course to my internship experience, and completed hands-on work at my intern site.
Social Justice at the Catholic My Role as a Social Justice Client Population and Structural Injustice Immigration Processes
Charities Archdiocese of Chicago Immigration Intern at Composition
The majority of clients that my In my beliefs and understandings, structural in 2017
From the start of my second
Immigration and Naturalization Catholic
The Charities
particular role that I fulfilled at internship site served were low-wage injustice is the reality of various public semester at the internship site,
Services Department Catholic Charities consisted of work immigrants who predominantly institutions collectively functioning to the mood and demeanor of
Having interned at Catholic Charitiess
that included calling clients to remind lacked the knowledge and personal disproportionately serve and benefit both the clients and staff had
Immigration and Naturalization Services
them of their appointments with U.S. resources to navigate through U.S. particular social groups over others. In drastically altered. The reason
department for the 2016-2017 academic
Immigration and Customs Services immigration processes themselves. essence, the marginalized social groups are for this being credited to the
school year, I can definitely say Ive
(USCIS), scheduling appointments With that being said, many times the collectively stigmatized and suppressed U.S. presidential inauguration
witnessed social justice at work in many
with clients to retrieve their work office opened cases for entire from adequate social resources due to the of Donald Trump, and his
different forms. The department regularly
permits or residency cards, and families with each family member unjust policies and practices of various stance on immigration reform
operates to provide low-income immigrant
advising clients on how the status of receiving their own case. Therefore, public institutions. Chicagos immigrant and policy. Once Donald Trump
families guidance and support throughout
their cases will proceed. Throughout we also took in clients across all age community and the clients Catholic was inaugurated, the office had
various U.S. immigration processes such as
much of this work, I was able to ranges and generations. Some of our Charitiess immigration office takes in both received massive swarms of
deferred action renewals, employment
converse with a wide array of clients clients were young teenagers while experience structural injustice across many phone calls from anxious and
authorization applications, citizenship
for a limited amount of time. The others would meet the age different outlets. For instance, the clients worried clients. Inside of the
interviews, and more. The guidance
upside of my work was that I could requirement for senior citizenship. that come into the office widely hold low- office, many families were
commonly comes in the form of policy and
observe the diversity of families and When I first started interning at the wage jobs from the service sector. disheartened and fearful of
process advising in which we encouraged
communities that needed office, I was surprised to see the Furthermore, their employers are prompt to what would come for them.
clients which proceeding steps to take at
immigration process assistance and number of families that would arrive lay them off if they dont have valid work The director of the office
which time and informed them of the
see the assorted populations of those for consultation and filing permits because they largely view them as immediately scheduled a
status of their cases. The support, on the
who are affected. However, at times, appointments. Soon enough, it expendable. Since its difficult for them to department meeting to discuss
other hand, came in the form of comforting
I also felt that my work was tedious become a common reality to see all sustain a well-paying job due to the how the office would proceed
and reassuring our clients through denied
or mere office work. On some days, generations of a single family come documentation statuses, they not only have with the clients concerns and
applications, difficult family pressures,
when all I did was call clients to in to receive assistance. Being a difficulty caring for their own families, but the uncertainty around the
worrisome community perceptions of
remind them of their USCIS college student, it was eye-opening also for paying the rather pricey federal executive administrations
contemporary immigration practices, and
appointments, it was hard for me to for me to see children in the office fees to apply for proper documentation. actions. I was relieved to know
more.
perceive and understand how I was younger than me because I Within their residential communities, high- that the office wanted to
carrying out and ensuring social commonly perceived immigration paying jobs are seldom offered and the organize a department
justice. This began to bother me, and assistance to be for adults. But, once public schools located there are meeting to discuss future
Graphic 1.
I felt that I wasnt making any I saw the number of children underfunded to offer their children an steps. Due to the uncertainty
Personal Experience: significant contributions to better the frequently in the office, I realized adequate education. Through the of the administration at the
One, more direct, instance I remember livelihood of Chicagos immigrant that entire families are affected by discussions in the EXPL 390 course, we time (and still), we were only
witnessing at the office involved the director of community. Soon enough, I brought immigration policy. In regards to discuss how socially marginalized groups able to settle on the grounds
the office/my supervisor, Nancy Gavilanes, the racial demographics, there was a are hindered from achieving upward social that the office would caution
this concern up to discussion in my
staff, and a flustered client. The client had a significant proportion of Hispanic mobility due to unequal public policies and prospective deferred action
EXPL 390 class. My instructor,
scheduled appointment with Nancy to send in perceptions across vital social institutions
classmates, and I conversed over this and Latinx clients. However, I also and visa applicants that we
her residency application 2 days before her that are constructed on the basis to serve
deadline, however she ran extremely late and matter, and we discerned that encountered numerous clients of didnt know what would
sometimes we may not find a direct Asian, African, and European everyone equally in quality. completely happen. With that
missed her appointment. When she arrived, she
came with her newborn baby and apologized to connection to or recognize direct descent. being said, we began to inform
Nancy, but she was already seeing another outcomes of social justice work but Importantly, the immigration office them, and still do, that their
Graphic 4.
client and her schedule was filled. Before the it does not mean were not received a substantial intake of personal information would be
client began to leave, her baby had defecated contributing to the betterment of clients who were victims of domestic Personal Experience: disclosed to the federal
himself and she did not have any more diapers socially marginalized populations. abuse and sexual assault that was One day at the office, I was scheduled to see a government and that they
on her person, or in her home. I remember Sometimes the smallest gesture or perpetrated by U.S. citizens. When I client to advise her on her work permit status and have a choice to continue with
hearing her baby begin to cry, but when I walked first began to see the number of hand her the mailed receipts we had received for an application or not. Again, I
action we carry out can go a long
nearby to recover a clients file, I soon found out her case. As she came into the office, I looked up
way for the person maybe needing sexual assault victims that entered was relieved to know that the
that it was the client, the mother, whom was her file in the database and saw that she owed
someone next to them to know the office, I was distraught at how office was doing everything it
crying. When Nancy understood what was the office $100 from previous appointments
happening, she immediately calmed the client theyre not alone, or perhaps access many people within the served where she didnt pay. I informed her of the money could to properly serve the
down, called the staff to gather together, and to resources to improve their vicinity had endured this troubling she owed the office, however she did not have community of clients it serves.
asked who had time in their calendar to attend economic or emotional well-being. experience. I still am distraught the money with her. Before allowing the client to However, I was still dispirited
to this client. Quickly, a staff member Going back to my intern site after our about this reality today, but I feel leave, I went to my supervisor to inform her that to see the significant worry and
volunteered to assist the client with her class discussion, I realized that social assured knowing that a number of the client did not bring the money she owed. newfound trauma our clients
appointment later in the day. Afterwards, Nancy justice is not always about being the them are seeking assistance at the Quickly, Nancy pulled out a notebook that have been experiencing. I
abruptly left the office and returned with bags of champion or developing a savior office and that I was able to contained a list of client names. The notebook knew it was (and still is) a time
baby diapers and other baby products to give to support them. In regards to detailed clients who had outstanding payments to empathetically engage with
complex for others. Rather, its
the mother. Im aware that this scenario does conversing with this population of with the office. Nancy advised me that these
utilizing your skills, resources, and our clients. Not only did I
not intricately dive into assisting a client with an clients have demonstrated that they possess little
social privileges to support those who clients, it was significantly difficult participate in a lot of active
administrative immigration process, but it left a to no regular income and she allows them to pay
mark on me and demonstrated to me the possess a lack of resources and equal because the client would have to listening, but I also constantly
the fees when they are able to afford them
reminisce back to the day(s) of the reminded the clients that the
Acknowledgements:
commitment this office has to taking care of its treatment, if any.
Graphic 2.
attack which caused much
without any interest. Having talked to her about
office is always looking out for
clients. I believe social justice does involve a
I would like to give a huge thanks to Andrew Miller and Nancy Gavilanes for both this list, I found out that there is no formal
commitment discomfort at times. In these cases, I their personal safety and well-
offering me thisortransformative
dedication to serving thoseand
opportunity in guiding me through the various organizational policy on the matter. Nancy
need,
stage and mywith
entailed internship
it. This site
wasexemplified that for that I ever held, and it was a
the first internship promptly learned that not only do I informed me that because these clients dont being first and foremost. In this
me on this day. need to do a lot of attentive have a steady income does not mean that we can time, most importantly to me, I
great experience to engage in experiential social justice learning. Additionally, I
would like to thank the staff at Catholic Charitiess Immigration and Naturalization listening, but I also needed to stop serving them. When I learned of this matter saw the overarching humanity
Services Department. The staff completely opened their arms and welcomed me discern when to inform the clients of at the office, I began to perceive how structural of the immigrant community. I
the assistanceGraphic
we could injustice will affect individuals from all angles.
there. I was nervous for my first internship, but all of them allowed me to feel as 3. provide saw targeted families huddling
them. Fortunately, I was able to Importantly, I understood that if clients cant
though I belonged there. I did because they told me and
Contact: I believed them. I thank
References: together and keeping each
receive any aid because of the lack of personal
you all for Sanchez
Matthew the support and guidance you consistently gave
(He/Him/His) 1. me.
"DACA Information Session |St. Helena reassure them
Public that our
Library services and
| Community other close. I saw the faces of
resources from all other angles, then these clients
School of Communication| B.A. in Advocacy and Social Education."DACA Information Session staff are here
| N.p., to 2016.
6 Apr. help them.
Web. will likely be stuck in a disadvantaged web that aspiring citizens wince at the
Change 2. "Permanent Residency."Career Zone. N.p., n.d. Web. wont serve them simply because all sides unjust criminalization of their
Loyola University Chicago Class of 2018 3. "Hull of a House on WordPress.com." Hull of a House. N.p., 23 May aspects of life arent serving them. If individuals communities. I saw an
msanchez11@luc.edu 2011. Web. are socially disadvantaged, one entity will have to opportunity to further engage