Immigrants are healing, building and helping Miami

By Cristina Cabrera Jarro -

MIAMI | In 2003, Fabiola Alvarado was 16 years old and reluctant to leave Venezuela with her family. “I didn’t want to leave my country, but they knew better than me,” she said.

Her family settled in Miami, one of the cities in the United States with the highest number of Venezuelans who have left their country due to the economic, political and social crisis that is affecting the South American country. Alvarado attended Southwest Miami Senior High School and lived a fairly normal American high school experience. Yet, she was always careful about whom she shared her personal life with.

“It’s very difficult to say ‘I’m undocumented.’ You become very vulnerable,” she explained.

Her parents sought legal assistance for their immigration case, but were often turned away because they could not afford the initial fees for case review. It was at her home parish of St. Catherine of Siena in Miami that they were referred to Catholic Legal Services.

“They were very compassionate and I think they hold up empathy and dignity to their highest. They’re like family,” she said.

CLS searched for ways to help. They managed to acquire DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, for Alvarado’s sister, which would allow her to apply for college and acquire state-level financial aid and scholarships from certain colleges. Alvarado was four months older than 16 to qualify for DACA, but she decided to pursue a higher education after high school, regardless of the out-of-state costs.

“I like to study,” she said.

Sometimes she would take just one class a semester because that was all she could afford. Along the way, she met people that supported her persistence, and many surprised her by paying for her classes. In the long run, it paid off. Alvarado holds an associate of science in chemistry from MDC, a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Florida International University, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Nova Southeastern University.

In 2021, with the aid of CLS, she applied for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Unfortunately, it is not a pathway to residency in the United States, but it did open several doors for Alvarado.

“I could finally work legally and drive legally, and actually ‘come out of the shadows’ and be a part of the workforce, or in my case the healthcare force,” said Alvarado, who works in the Trauma and Burn ICU Unit of HCA Florida Kendall Hospital and is pursuing her master’s degree in nursing from the University of Miami.

As immigrants “we come away from the countries where we are born not because we want to, it’s because we are forced to do it. We want to do better, and, unfortunately, it has to be outside of our home country,” Alvarado said.

She shared her testimony as an immigrant during the blessing of the new office of CLS of the Archdiocese of Miami. The event was held Jan. 15, 2025 in a six-story building in Civic River Park Landing, close to downtown Miami, where Archbishop Thomas Wenski blessed not only the offices but also lawyers, paralegals, staff, clients and supporters gathered there.

“Lord, we ask your blessings on those who so generously devote themselves to helping others. When they are called on in times of need, let them faithfully serve you and their neighbor,” he said.

Since 1994, Catholic Legal Services has lived out a mission to provide legal representation and immigration services to those arriving in South Florida from foreign lands. Their staff originated with three immigration lawyers in a small office at Notre Dame d’Haiti Mission in Miami, to now a team of 104, and two locations, in Dade and Broward counties.

Their new Miami location accommodates a growing team that is working to provide legal support for the immigration boom in South Florida. In April 2024, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) citing U.S. Customs and Border Protection data reported that about 326,000 migrants seeking asylum—mostly from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela—arrived at airports in Florida. About 306,505 of them arrived in Miami. The CIS also reported migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Colombia and Ecuador. In 2023 the Florida Department of Children and Families reported receiving refugees from 78 different countries, with 43 percent of the refugees settling in Miami-Dade.

Whether recently arrived in the country, having resided over several months, or even years, many immigrants are concerned about their futures in the United States.

“We have to wait and see what will happen,” said Archbishop Wenski, who for years has strongly advocated for immigration rights and supported CLS. At the time, he was referring to the uncertainty of possible anti-immigrant policies that the new administration of Donald Trump, which took office a few days later, would enact. One of those measures was the revocation of Temporary Protected Status for more than 300,000 Venezuelans in the United States, leaving them vulnerable to possible deportation in the coming months.

“We are still a country of law. Immigrants have a right to due process, especially those applying for asylum. And so, we will continue to provide those legal services,” he added.

CLS provides legal consultations to their clients and assists them with an array of services including applying for asylum, residency, citizenship, DACA renewals, work permit applications, family petitions, status changes and more. As a nonprofit, they are committed to helping those who cannot afford legal representation, regardless of faith or national origin.

Over the years, CLS has assisted in thousands of cases. Each of their clients have lived a different journey to the United States, including Alvarado from Venezuela, Luis and Vilma Cruz of Honduras, and Wesly Jean of Haiti, who all shared their testimonies at the event.

The four expressed a common pride for the country they now call home. With access to better opportunities, Alvarado became a nurse, the Cruzes have a small construction company, and Jean is a paralegal with CLS.

“Immigrants come with so many skills, and they use those skills in the service of their new community,” said Randolph McGrorty, CEO of Catholic Legal Services.

He believes these four clients are examples of what immigrants are capable of doing in the U.S.

“Immigrants are healing Miami, immigrants are building Miami, and immigrants are helping Miami,” he said.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Catholic Legal Services of the Archdiocese of Miami are open Monday through Friday by appointments only. The Miami office can be reached at 305-373-1073, and 954-306-9537 for their Hollywood office, in Broward County.
• Visit their website at www.cclsmiami.org.