Praxis Title: Praxis Independant Study

Semester: Spring 2026

Community Partner: Hebrew Immigration Aid Society of Pennsylvania

Praxis Site Supervisor: Rona Gershon

Faculty Advisor/Professor: Marissa Golden

Praxis Poster:

PIS Rai Mitra Thakur

 

Further Context:

I wanted to work in the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) Pennsylvania because I wanted to understand the immigration crisis in the U.S. on a deeper level. As an intake intern this spring, I was able to get a much closer look and directly talk to multiple people about their experiences and see first hand the legal effects that the current administration has on these individuals. I interacted with clients one-on-one through the intake process, which I highlighted at the top of my poster. The intake process would be done through phone call, and I would always make sure if I needed to also contact a translator.  

The client base for this non profit organization centers around immigrants, which include people who are not proficient in English. Especially with how complicated the immigration process is, the role of translators is so crucial for transparency. By using a familiar language to connect with the client, there is an already more established footing for the client to explain their story to the fullest extent without the constraints of a language barrier. The question and answer section of the process is meant to figure out what sort of immigration relief the client is seeking and their background.  

The question and answer section is also the most time taking part of the process because I am transcribing and summarizing the details of the clients background into legal writing. Additionally along with their narrative, I ask questions related to what services the client is looking for. Afterwards I then enter the client’s information into the databases for HIAS PA. The whole intake process would not be useful if the recordkeeping was inefficient and there were too many details missing on the record, making it vital to ask clarifying questions and making sure their story is properly illustrated. 

The clinics in HIAS PA were my most favorite events during this semester. I enjoyed witnessing the collaboration between different groups that share similar goals, such as ALCAMO and pro-bono attorneys. Having clinics was also a way to tackle a lack of funding by still being accessible to clients. These clinics can be found in neighborhoods or easy to reach physical spaces. The audience can be pre-built as well depending on the purpose of the clinic, an example being if it was specifically a session about doing paperwork around getting U.S. citizenship.  

When we are unable to take a client’s case we don’t leave the client with no other options, instead we provide a pre-made list of attorneys and organizations that might have the capacity in their area. There are also cases where we send the clients information about “Know Your Rights”, which centers around understanding your rights if there is ever an encounter with law enforcement. I really loved the Know Your Rights information that HIAS PA compiled thoughtfully that links to other resources and videos, especially with how frightening it is for immigrants to encounter law enforcement and ICE at this period in time. 

Finally, for my broader reflections, I really was disappointed to see that a lot of the forms of relief available for immigrants mainly center around trauma. This is true for the Asylum status, T-Visa, U-Visa, VAWA, and more all of which force the victim to use their trauma to stay in the United States. The funding for non-profits like HIAS have been cut massively, forcing the workforce to shrink and ultimately have to pivot in their strategies of helping immigrants navigate immigration. HIAS PA does this by strengthening their legal advocacy team and hosting more clinics. Lastly, while HIAS PA is meant to only intake the cases of those that are the most impoverished under the poverty line, I believe that the current poverty line is too high. I believe that those who are just above the poverty line are still significantly struggling financially and need more access to affordable prices. Overall, this entire experience has opened my eyes about immigration processes and I was so fortunate to have this opportunity to hear from the Philly Immigrant community directly.