Immigration

The most common areas of difficulty for recent immigrants are on-job discrimination, transportation issues, immigration law, workers' rights, workplace accidents, and housing issues. Hermandad's legal services assist within these areas. For example, Hermandad's centers have completed 11,000 family visa applications since 1994. The staff has also assisted 2,000 individuals with employment, housing, consumer, traffic, and other legal difficulties. Citizenship interest has grown significantly as many naturalized immigrants have become eligible for it. Hermandad Mexicana Nacional currently operates teaching sites for citizenship education. Hermandad's citizenship program operates with a high number of volunteer participants, including students who have already completed the citizenship process. 

The program provides the following services: 

• Information and orientation

• History and Governments of the United States Instruction

• Legal Services

Hermandad's citizenship program is enhanced by the "experience in Democracy activities." The HMN organizes activities of civic responsibility that encourage immigrants to participate more actively in their communities. The program brings people together for events and activities that expose new immigrants to the political and social system. The program includes training, observation, and information exchange with policymakers in Congress and researchers. 

The Hermandad education program also allows students to take classes in the evenings and makes instruction accessible at sites close to our client's homes. This system will enable adults to undertake learning on any day, and evening hours during the week. Hermandad is seeking to implement a system where students can learn in smaller group settings with the assistance of qualified instructors. 

Hermandad has a highly effective recruiting system that brings large numbers of adults into its programs. Through door-to-door, public parks, and swap meet recruiting strategies. HMN can reach the most disadvantaged limited English-proficient adults in both urban and rural areas. High retention rates are assured by providing services that fit student's schedules. Tests are also offered after working hours. To ensure high retention rates, we hire instructors that are not only highly qualified but that are sensitive to the educational needs of adults.

The program is committed to the organization's philosophy that assures that the students enrolled in the program understand and pass the citizenship examination and actively participate as community members.  A lot of other effective material is multimedia that aids in the real-life learning process. These materials do not substitute but rather, they complement curriculum activities and the learning process. This is what has made the program successful in helping immigrant adults prepare for the citizenship process.