Tag: immigration

Update from a Partner on the Immigration Frontlines

RTP continues to support our refugee communities through these difficult times. When checking in with our partners on the ground, Caféwal, a resource center in Manhattan, had this to say:

“Countless times we at Caféwal have been approached by community members with upcoming court dates, desperate to have their evidence translated with imminent deadlines. Again and again RTP translators have responded with sensitivity and alacrity, completing the translations with professionalism, accuracy and astonishingly rapid turnaround. I can’t express the relief and gratitude that every single person expresses when they are able to bring the certified translations to their attorney and meet their legal deadlines. We too, as intermediaries supporting our friends, share that sense of immense relief that we are helping to give folks a fighting chance at winning asylum in an unforgiving and continuously eroding system.

“When our community members, many of whom have experienced untold trauma, are accompanied by an RTP-trained interpreter to a legal or medical appointment, they have the support of someone who is not only trained in the ethics of interpretation, but who is able to speak both the language and shared culture of the patient/client and who can act as a community liaison. The deep cultural understanding that informs the experience provides invaluable support and comfort…Every accompaniment that promotes accurate communication with compassion and humanity, every translation that provides proof of why a person had to flee their country of origin, is itself a compelling win in a landscape of unfettered brutality…in this very hellscape, the work of RTP has provided a rare beacon of hope.”

With the support of our donors, we continue to provide these vital services to the community at Caféwal. Thank you to everyone who has supported us for your commitment to dignity and justice! You are literally saving lives.

Keep our work going!

Meet Our 2025 CUNY Interns!

Our two CUNY Career Launch interns, Izzy Taveras and Alesia Martinez, began their Social Services Access Team positions the week of July 14 at Cafewal, a space run by our partners EV Loves NYC and East Village Neighbors Who Care. Izzy and Alesia have each worked over 75 hours helping community members navigate immigration issues, apply for work authorization, resumes, find employment, and obtain social services and benefits.

Izzy and Alesia use their Spanish language skills to make the space more inclusive to Spanish-speaking community members while working with volunteer interpreters to assist French, Pulaar, and Wolof speaking community members who make up the majority of Cafewal’s community base.

Izzy Taveras majors in Criminal Justice at John Jay where she is working towards her certificate in legal translation and interpretation and volunteers as a researcher for language access policies in the United States. Izzy plans to apply for the BS/MA program at John Jay to earn her JD and PhD and possibly go into immigration law.

Alesia Martinez is a rising senior at Kingsborough Community College where she expects to graduate with an Associated in Science degree in Mental Health and Human Services, ultimately earning her master’s degree to become a licensed social worker. Growing up as a daughter of immigrants, she has  translated documents and helped family members navigate different application processes. 

Graduation Day!

Congratulations to the 6 participants of our Interpreter Training for African Asylum Seekers program who successfully completed the program last week!

Throughout the course of the 6-week program, our 6 interpreters-in-training provided 750 hours of service. They helped asylum seekers apply for work authorization, Fair Fares discount Metrocards, IDNYC, and other services. They helped 284 people create a resume, either by working directly with clients or by assisting as interpreters for volunteer resume writers. They also helped asylum seekers who had work authorization look for employment opportunities and apply for jobs.

Our participants provided interpretation at a medical clinic hosted by East Village Neighbors Who Care (EVNC) in October, and also assisted clients to medical appointments with EVNC volunteers. In November, they worked at the New York Health and Hospitals Resource Fair connecting the majority of the 250+ attendees to representatives of the organizations tabling the fair.

In total the 6 participants in our program aided over 700 new New Yorkers.

Our Interpreter Training for African Asylum Seekers program was made possible with funding from the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and the Mayor’s Fund and support from Afrikana, Africa is Everywhere,East Village Neighbors Who Care, and EV Loves NYC .

We trained 6 asylum seekers, who learned the ethics and techniques of interpretation, as well as how to help people apply for benefits. Throughout the program, participants used their interpretation and language skills to provide direct services to people seeking asylum and other immigration relief and are in need of case management. Participants helped new migrant arrivals navigate the processes of critical services and benefits including work authorization, Fair Fares, health insurance, change of address, SNAP food benefits, school enrollment, and more. Interpreters also assisted volunteers in crafting resumes for clients.

The program offered professional development opportunities, featuring paid, hands-on training for multilingual asylum seekers who speak critical indigenous West African languages and dialects such as Pulaar, Wolof, Soninke, Hausa, Twi, Hassaniya Arabic, and Amazigh in addition to French and Arabic. Participants benefited from a direct employment pipeline through RTP and receive professional recommendations for external opportunities, emphasizing our commitment to workforce development and economic empowerment. The program serves a dual purpose: providing career opportunities for qualified asylum seekers while enhancing language access services for the broader community of new arrivals.