Justice For Our Neighbors: An Immigration Response
Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON) is a national network of regional projects that provide immigration legal services in the context of welcoming congregations. The main goal of JFON is to facilitate the mission of the United Methodist Church in responding to the needs of immigrants through community-based, ecumenical projects.
Since 1999, Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON) is the chief means by which UMCOR responds to the needs of immigrants. JFON serves immigrants in need of legal services. These services may include, among others, consultation, document preparation, and representation. JFONís focus is especially to help immigrants in need of such services who lack the financial resources to access legal help, and/or who, because of lack of information, fear or intimidation, have been unable or unwilling to seek legal advice elsewhere.
The basic unit of JFON is the JFON Region Project. A region is usually served by a single JFON attorney and is most often comprised of several congregation-based clinic program sites (up to 3 per single attorney) situated preferably no more than a 2 hr drive from the attorneyís base office.
JFON also serves individual volunteers, houses of worship, and other community based organizations who wish to serve immigrants. The national JFON office facilitates this by providing guidance and support in establishing JFON Regional Projects and program sites, and by providing information, training, tools and resources for education and advocacy on behalf of immigrants.
Each JFON clinic welcomes immigrant clients with hospitality, ensuring they are treated with respect, and offered high quality immigration assistance. Clinics provide trained intake personnel, case file security, appropriate interpreters, and appropriate space for confidential access to a qualified immigration attorney or worker.
Mission education and advocacy are important components of JFON. JFON functions as a way for the church to respond to the call of scripture to show hospitality and to welcome strangers, even as we have been shown hospitality, welcome and acceptance by God.
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