Access and Citizenship

CWS Durham’s role in the N-648 clinics is partially funded by Duke University Health System’s Charitable Grants Fund. On the wall of CWS Durham’s immigration legal services office, you’ll find three bulletin boards covered in pictures of former refugees becoming U.S. citizens. For many of our clients, citizenship and the protections that come with it is a privilege that they …

“I will never forget the compassion”: An Intern’s View of CWS Legal Services

Cerina interned with CWS Durham Immigration Legal Services in the Summer of 2018, where she was a huge help to our legal team and got to be a part of the great CWS Scavenger Hunt of 2018 (the context for this ridiculous photo). She hopes to pursue a career in legal services after experiencing both sides of this hugely important …

Enjoying the Little Things: An Update from the Border

This August, CWS Durham case manager Krista Camp was deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border for ten weeks to support a shelter for asylum-seekers leaving detention. You can read her previous updates here and here. Watching twenty-five women, men, and children from Guatemala and Mexico walk through an Arizona university campus wearing ankle monitors is something the students don’t see every day. However, when …

“I Want to be a Doctor Again”: Reducing Refugee Brain Waste through TAP-F

Written by Julia Hause 9:58, 9:59, 10:00. I look up from my desk, which faces the front door of our office. Bright, smiling faces greet me on the other side of the door as I open the office to clients for our daily walk-in hours. Here, I answer questions ranging from ‘How do I pay my electricity bill?’ to, ‘I …

“More Than Words”: an update from the border

This August, CWS Durham case manager Krista Camp was deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border for ten weeks to support a shelter for asylum-seekers leaving detention. You can read her first update here. Read on for a story of friendship that crosses borders: As adults, we often get caught up in the differences between other people and ourselves. Whether you call …

Reuniting Families – 7 Things You Can Do

This list is reposted from Triangle Interfaith Advocates for Refugees and Immigrants’ (TIARI) website at www.tiari.org. TIARI is an interfaith coalition that partners with CWS Durham to advocate for welcoming policies and to support refugees and immigrants. Here are 7 simple things you can do to make your voice heard in support of reuniting families. Pick one, and get started! (or two, …

“An Unlikely Community”: Krista’s update from the border

This August, CWS Durham case manager Krista Camp was deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border for ten weeks to support a shelter for asylum-seekers leaving detention. Here are her thoughts from her first week: During my first week at the shelter in Arizona, I met and interacted with over 60 men, women, and children who were recently released from detention and …

CWS Durham sends Case Manager to U.S.-Mexico border

  This past Sunday, CWS Durham case manager Krista set out for the U.S.-Mexico border on an emergency deployment for Spanish-speaking CWS staff. In the middle of the current border crisis, Krista will spend the next ten weeks working at a shelter for asylum-seekers where she will provide much-needed relief and capacity-building support. We’ll miss her back here in Durham, …

Advocacy Event – August 21st!

On August 21st, CWS Durham is teaming up with Judea Reform, Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Hillsborough, and Triangle Interfaith Advocates for Refugees and Immigrants to host a story-sharing and advocacy event focused on reuniting refugee and immigrant families. Come hear members of our community share their own stories of family separation and reunification, and learn what …