Tag: Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society of Pennsylvania

Rai Mitra Thakur, BMC ’27

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. 

Rachel Rosenstein, BMC ’27

Seminar:  CITY420: Seeking Spatial Justice 

Semester:  Fall 2025 

Faculty Advisor/Professor:  Lauren Restrepo 

Community Partner:  HIAS-PA   

Praxis Site Supervisor:  Rona Gershon   

Praxis Poster:

8 Rachel_Rosenstein_Immigration and spatial justice (24 x 36 in)

 

Further Context:

This summer, seeing the horrors being forced upon immigrants, I realized that I could not simply sit back and watch; I needed to get involved. I researched immigration nonprofits in Philadelphia until I found HIAS-PA, the incredible organization that became my praxis site. The organization first began as a nonprofit that was focused on aiding Eastern European Jewish immigrants in the late 1800s until 1979, when they opened their doors to immigrants of all backgrounds. The history of HIAS immediately appealed to me because of my own family’s immigration history. My grandparents came here from Eastern Europe, and they faced significant challenges upon arrival. HIAS helped immigrant families just like mine but in Philadelphia settle smoothly in America, and I felt called to give back in the same way that HIAS-PA is now open to all. My family has been living in the United States for three generations, and I am secure enough now to help those who need assistance now. When my grandparents came to the United States, they were fleeing persecution, and now, when people try to do the same, they are met with violence and hate. My goal in working at HIAS-PA was to counteract as much of that hate as I could by showing the people I spoke to that I cared about them, and that we would do our very best to help.  

I was on the intake team at HIAS. Once I began my work, I fell into a smooth rhythm: I would find out who was waiting for an intake call, call them, ask them the intake questions, enter it into the computer system, and let the attorneys know that the intake had been completed. This usually went smoothly. The more difficult part was hearing the immigration stories that these people experienced. Trauma and fear filled the questionnaire as I took notes on the answers to the questions I was supposed to ask. I learned quickly that no one came here simply for “a better life.” Everyone I had spoken to was escaping something, and it broke my heart that the country they chose to come to was treating them as though they were criminals. One question I had to ask was whether they had been arrested for a crime in the United States, and the answer was almost always “no”. And yet, our country continues to pretend that everyone who crosses the border is a criminal. I felt my anger expanding with every call I made as I understood more and more of the injustices these people had faced.  

I gained a lot from this experience, and I learned a lot about myself in the process. Firstly, I got the opportunity to put into perspective how lucky I am that I was born here, and therefore I do not have to live in fear every day. I learned that speaking to individuals carries so much more meaning than looking at statistics—I had seen all the numbers prior to the start of my work, but hearing individuals speak made me feel so much more connected to the issues immigrants face. I learned that I might want to consider immigration law as a career path because I have developed so much respect for the attorneys at HIAS and the work that they do, and I want to be a part of it one day. I learned that a little bit of kindness and patience goes a long way by seeing the gratitude I received after checking in with potential clients who did not know when they would hear back. I learned that everybody has a story to tell, and listening is often so helpful by itself, even if HIAS did not have the capacity to offer full services. Overall, I learned how important immigration work is, and I am forever appreciative of my experience at HIAS-PA.  

 

Isabel Oalican, BMC ’23

HIAS: Legal Intake Internship

Semester: Spring 2023

Praxis Course: POLS 420 Praxis Fieldwork Seminar: Politics, Policy, and Power

Faculty Advisor: Marissa Golden

Field Site: Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society of Pennsylvania

Field Supervisor: Rona Gershon

Praxis Poster:

Final_IsabelO_POLS_Poster

 

Further Context:

This semester I interned as a legal intake intern for the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society of Pennsylvania (HIASPA). HIASPA was created with the intention of assisting Jewish refugees, and since the 1970s has expanded to assist refugees of all faiths and backgrounds.

As a legal intake intern, I was responsible for conducting intake interviews during hotline hours for incoming clients and inputting this information into a law-based database called Law Logix. This work was done remotely during hotline hours on Wednesdays from 12-1 and Thursdays from 2-430PM. During intake, I would ask clients for basic information as well as a series of questions that would determine whether they qualified for our immigration services. Our services include representation for refugees, asylees, domestic violence survivors, immigrant youth, survivors of torture, immigrant victims of crime, and elderly and disabled immigrants. Performing intake allowed me to gain familiarity with immigration law as well as the eligibility requirements for immigration benefits.

Following intake, I would maintain cases via case notes. Case notes was where me and their attorneys would communicate next steps, referrals, client information, and eventually close each case. As I became more comfortable intaking clients, I had the opportunity to assist them with small tasks in the case notes such as filling out client forms. The ability to intake and manage client cases gave me relevant experience in legal management that will be transferable to the paralegal work I will be doing following graduation.

During my internship I also had the opportunity to shadow an Immigrant Youth Advocacy Staff Attorney. Shadowing allowed me to observe representation to unaccompanied children seeking asylum and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status before USCIS and the Immigrant Court. This experience exposed me to the preparation process for asylees prior to their asylum interview. I became familiar with how strategic legal questioning can help build a case for presentation in front of immigration court. I also observed multiple Know Your Rights presentations to elementary and middle schools, becoming familiar with immigrant rights and immigrant communities in Philadelphia. Shadowing an immigration attorney was an invaluable experience as it gave me a look into public interest law as a career.

Overall, my experience at HIASPA was extremely rewarding and engaging. My boss was very attentive to my questions and supportive of my desire to shadow an attorney in person. I would highly recommend interning at HIASPA to those interesting in pursuing public interest law.