Volunteer Guide

Catholic Charities of Baltimore Immigration Legal Services, Esperanza Center

  • Location:
    430 S. Broadway
    Baltimore, MD 21231
  • Phone:
    667-600-2941
  • Fax:
    667-600-4026
  • Contact methods:
    Email, Mail/Letter, Phone calls, Phone services available
  • Appointments accepted:
    Yes

For more than fifty years the Esperanza Center (formerly the Hispanic Apostolate) has provided a wide range of services to new immigrants to the Baltimore Metropolitan Area: short-term social services, referrals to appropriate resources, employment counseling, English as a second language classes, immigration legal services, and healthcare services. Our bilingual staff works with Hispanic and other immigrants to help them acclimate to their new home. Pro bono immigration legal services are provided to minors, victims of crime, human trafficking, and domestic violence. Low-cost representation is provided for both affirmative and defensive immigration cases. This organization provides removal defense and considers detained cases on a case-by-case basis if a family member does an in-person consultation.

State served: Maryland

Services Provided

Are immigration legal services provided? Yes
Areas of immigration legal assistance: Adjustment of Status, Asylum applications, Consular Processing, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Employment authorization, Family-based petitions, NACARA, Naturalization/Citizenship, Removal hearings, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, T visas, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), U visas, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions
Types of immigration legal services provided: Help completing forms, Filings with USCIS, Representation at Asylum Interviews (Credible Fear Interviews, Reasonable Fear Interviews), Representation before the Immigration Court, Representation before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)
Non-legal services: Administrative advocacy (CIS/ICE/CBP), Citizenship / Civics classes, Department of Justice (DOJ)/Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)-funded services for trafficking victims, Employment services, ESL, Health services, Language services, Legal Orientation Programs (LOP) / Know Your Rights Presentations (KYR), Office Of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)-funded services for trafficking victims, Psychological or psychiatric services, Referrals to other services, Social services
Populations served: Detained individuals, Domestic Violence Victims, Farm workers, Human Trafficking Survivors, Individuals who are not in legal immigration status, Individuals with criminal histories, Individuals with physical/mental disabilities, Juveniles, Lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender, Torture survivors
Languages spoken: English, French, Hindi, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Urdu, Visaya
Access to a commercial interpreting service or language bank: Yes
Nominal fee charged? Yes
Other information: This organization is a partner of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.

Staffing Information

Number of attorneys on staff: 6
Is organization BIA recognized? Yes
Number of fully accredited BIA representatives on staff: 1
Number of partially accredited BIA representatives on staff: 0
Number of paralegals/legal workers on staff: 3

Additional Details

Pro Bono opportunities? Yes
Network affiliations: American Immigration Lawyers Association, Asista, Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), Immigration Advocates Network, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), Lutheran Legal Service Organization

Volunteering

Volunteer Coordinator
Bilal Siddiqi
6676002931