“Filling a need” La Luz representatives earn accreditation to fill out immigration paperwork

La Luz Centro Cultural staff recently celebrated an accreditation that will allow the organization to provide additional immigration assistance to its clients.

Aimee Lenth, associate director with La Luz, said she and Executive Director Claudia Rivera recently received accreditation through US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to fill out immigration forms, such as green cards, citizenship, employment authorization documents, visas and more.

Lenth said she and Rivera cannot represent anyone in court, but it allows residents a local source for help, whereas previously, travel was necessary to receive paperwork assistance.

“This is something we’ve been working towards and recognizing as a need in the area,” she said. “We’re very pleased to get permission from the government to do this.”

The process for accreditation included a job shadow under an immigration attorney with Justice for Our Neighbors, a 40 hour basic immigration course and additional webinars. They received notice of accreditation late last month and began offering the service effective immediately. Along with the training received through the accreditation process, Lenth and Rivera have an existing knowledge of the immigration system, as well as access to legal assistance and advice through the Catholic Legal Immigration Network and a law library.

The service will come with a sliding fee scale, but Rivera said they will be kept at a reasonable level. Clients who wish to use the service will first be put through a consultation to see if La Luz can adequately meet their needs.

Now with the accreditation and subsequent skills, Rivera said La Luz can offer yet another tool to help area residents who may not have had all their needs met previously.

“One of the things is, in Iowa, you’re not going to find a lot of Latino organizations and once people know there’s an organization, they look for services in all aspects,” she said. “It is something that people are always looking for…is immigration. It’s important to have this.”

Rivera continued that the new immigration service will complement existing services, such as the recently incorporated SOMOS Latinx program, which helps victims find resources they may need after an incident. Rivera said victims who need assistance following an incident may require immigration services of some sort in certain situations.

Speaking on the SOMOS program, La Luz staff member Liliana Velasco said they have continued to be able to offer the service, even amid the COVID-19 shutdown. In fact, Velasco said, La Luz has seen a growth in the need for the program as people have been isolated to their homes.

“We felt like cases went up,” she said. “We feel the program is doing really good and we’re definitely helping a lot of people out.”

She added that the program also helps people cope with ongoing effects from previous incidents, not just those suffering from recent cases.

“It’s not just helping in this moment, but we can help long-term and we can also help if they’ve been through it many years ago,” she said. “They can come talk to us. It doesn’t have to just be right now.”

One additional new service La Luz offers, even with the complications of the pandemic, is a food bank out of its new office in the former Hampton Heating building at 7 Second Ave. SE. Pick-ups can be made on the first and fourth Mondays of the month from 5 to 7 p.m., or by appointment by calling 641-812-1090.