With confusion and fear about immigration heightened under the current administration, the Catholic Family Center wants people to know they offer a number of services for those who need help.
Bharati Verma is the Immigration Program Manager at the Center. She says they have has seen an increase in people coming to the center with questions.
"In just, what do I have to do to feel safe? I have my green card, I want to be a citizen we've seen a surge in that. We've seen a lot of people that were happy just on their green card now feeling like that citizenship piece is very important."
The Catholic Family Center offers services including naturalization, green card renewal, removal of conditional residence and more.
She says their mission is to empower people with information despite the anxiety they may be experiencing.
"Whether you’re a refugee, whether you’re an immigrant, whether you’re a US citizen there’s rights that we all have and we're basically education people on what to say what not to say, who to invite into your home if someone knocks on your door, if someone asks the passenger of a car what’s your status."
They also want to make sure people are aware because they’ve also seen an increase in rejected applications. Verma says well-intentioned community members assisting with legal documentation without the proper training may result in jeopardizing one’s citizenship.
Verma says applicants should seek out an accredited agency like the Catholic Family Center for application help.
CFC offers free legal consultation with appointments scheduled out 2-3 months now. But walk-ins are welcome on Mondays 1pm to 3pm. You can also call Verma at 585-546-7220 x4730 or find more on their website.