Strangers to Friends
BY COURTNEY SEARCY
PHOTOS BY CARI GRIFFITH
Featured in Vol 8, Issue 2: Philanthropy
If there’s one shared value Southerners agree on, it’s probably hospitality. Hospitality comes naturally to us when it comes to a dinner party, where our guests will be treated to an extra heaping of cobbler and a box of leftovers to take home.
In my mind, hospitality is defined by one memory: every major holiday, the living room at my grandparents’ house would be packed with family and anyone we knew who didn’t have family to share the day with. Even though there were guests I sometimes rolled my eyes to see, I understand the value of that space now. Eventually, one of those friends gifted them a sign that hangs at the door. It reads, “Enter as strangers, leave as friends.”
One of my favorite writers, Henri Nouwen, defines hospitality in this way: “Hospitality means primarily the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to bring men and women over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines…The paradox of hospitality is that it wants to create emptiness, not a fearful emptiness, but a friendly emptiness where strangers can enter and discover themselves as created free; free to sing their own songs, speak their own languages, dance their own dances; free also to leave and follow their own vocations. Hospitality is not a subtle invitation to adore the lifestyle of the host, but the gift of a chance for the guest to find his own.”
So our supposed value of hospitality becomes harder for us to extend in our daily lives. Once we step outside of the comfort of our homes, the barriers between us start to grow. Our cultures, languages, habits, and politics make it harder for us to welcome people outside of our normal circles into our lives. The greatest challenge for us then, might be knowing how to welcome a true stranger, someone who shares very little of our culture with us — an immigrant. But one local organization, All Saints Immigration Services (ASIS), is creating a more hospitable Jackson for immigrants navigating the legal system. They are guiding people in Jackson and West Tennessee through the process of immigration to become thriving and engaged community members.
The clients who walk through the doors of ASIS come from a variety of backgrounds and situations, with over 20 countries represented among them so far. Some are fleeing violence or poverty, but they all share one thing: they left the place they once called home. With new languages, laws, and culture to navigate, where do they begin?
“We help provide legal access to help — it’s hard to find the information and very easy to be taken advantage of. You almost have to have an advocate,” Director Stacy Preston says.
The State of Tennessee estimates that there are 349,000 immigrants in Tennessee, compromising five percent of the population. ASIS estimates that roughly 15,000 of them are within a one hour drive of Jackson-Madison County. Before the opening of ASIS in November of 2020, there were no immigration services in Jackson-Madison County and the nearest non-profit legal services were in Memphis and Nashville. Furthermore, there is no law firm in our community devoted solely to immigration law work. What began with Stacy Preston and Lynn Binkley has grown to an organization that operates with two staff members, Stacy Preston and Dulce Maria Salcedo, as well as interns. Stacy and Dulce Maria are both certified by the Department of Justice to serve as legal advocates for the immigration process.
According to ASIS, “Four percent of Tennessee children live with at least one family member who is at risk of being deported or separated from their family. Yet immigration law assistance can cost tens of thousands of dollars, precluding people without significant resources from this type of help. When families have the security of legal status which provides the ability to legally work and provide for their family, it contributes to much higher levels of mental health and well-being which directly impacts the Jackson-Madison community. Families will be more likely to use health and social services, volunteer, learn English, and cooperate with local authorities instead of living in fear.”
Since they have been operating as a non-profit for two years, Stacy counts being able to hire Dulce Maria as a full time employee one of the greatest milestones in their time as an organization. Dulce Maria serves as a translator as well as an advocate, her own experience as a first-generation immigrant providing a layer of trust and understanding with clients. Dulce Maria’s family made the difficult decision to move to the United States when she was just one year old.
“We didn’t want to leave our home, our friends, our community. Coming to the United States was our last choice — the economic situation was really tough… especially for my dad, who was a business owner,” Dulce Maria said.
Though it can be difficult to acquire, her family was able to qualify for a visa. It was not an easy process from there, although they had taken all of the correct legal steps. Shortly after that, their visa expired, and her father died after a battle with colon cancer. But before he passed away, her mother made a promise to him that she would stay in the United States for her children.
In the following years, they spent thousands of dollars to get a chance, and for a long time, nothing worked to get them to a path of citizenship. Through these years, her mother encouraged Dulce Maria to focus on her education. She applied for a competitive scholarship, Golden Door Scholars, aimed to help non-citizen students receive a college education and was able to attend Rhodes College for her bachelor's degree. Her family has been able to obtain legal status and is in the process of gaining citizenship.
These kinds of long, frustrating, difficult, and confusing journeys are what the ASIS staff navigate every day. There are many misconceptions and misunderstandings among immigrants and the greater community regarding the immigration process.
“Sometimes when they come to us they have never met with us and so this is new information, or they have been given wrong information, or paid money for someone who did not actually help them,” Stacy said.
Much of their work involves dispelling misinformation, which often involves dissapointment. Some people may have to go back to their home country to start the process, or may be required to stay in their country for ten years. “They thought they would have a way forward and they just don’t,” Stacy said.
While ASIS exists to serve the immigrant population, they also hope to serve as a resource for other organizations and businesses in Jackson who may work with immigrants in order to guide them to best practices regarding employment and other obstacles that may be faced.
They hope to help educate the community abut how much value immigrants bring to our community, and empowering immigrants in turn to contribute to the community.
Ultimately, this is the vision the office of ASIS is building, to create a hospitable path for immigrants to be thriving members of our community. They’re offering the truest form of hospitality, to open up a path for someone else to make Jackson and the United States home. Learn more at www.allsaintsimmigration.com
COURTNEY SEARCY became the Program Director of Our Jackson Home at theCO in 2020, having contributed to OJH as a writer, photographer, and volunteer since 2015. Courtney serves as Editor-in-Chief for the blog and magazine and coordinates events and Our Jackson Home projects. She thinks the best things in life are good food, art, music, and friends to share it all with.