Justice for Our Neighbors North Central Texas (JFON DFW) is a nonprofit organization based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that provides legal services to immigrants and advocates against immigration restrictions and conditions on legal residency. 1 It is a chapter of the National Justice for Our Neighbors organization which consists of local nonprofit organizations that provide legal services to immigrants. 2
Background
Justice for Our Neighbors North Central Texas, also known as Justice for Our Neighbors Dallas-Fort Worth, is a local chapter of the nonprofit National Justice for Our Neighbors network based in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. It provides immigration legal services and engages in advocacy in support of reducing restrictions on immigration. 2
JFON DFW hosts “Intake Clinics” once a month at local churches to allow illegal immigrants to speak with an immigration attorneys for free to discover if they are eligible to obtain legal residency. It has received funding from the Texas Bar Foundation, the Dallas Bar Foundation, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and National Justice for Our Neighbors. 2
Advocacy
Opposition to Detaining Immigrants
Justice for Our Neighbors North Central Texas (JFON DFW) opposes detaining migrants who do or do not have legal residency. It claims that holding migrants in detention while they await immigration hearings is a violation of rights and is critical of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s (R) Operation Lone Star program for detaining alleged criminals along the Texas-Mexico border. The program, which began in 2021, was created by Governor Abbott to deter illegal immigration and prevent drug and weapons smuggling. Additionally, JFON DFW is critical of targeting adult males who immigrate without families and claims they would be arrested as a result of the program. 3
DREAM Act
In January 2018, Justice for Our Neighbors North Central Texas ((JFON DFW) collected signatures from Smith County Texas residents to petition then-U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert (R-TX) to vote in support of a new version of the DREAM Act. The new version would allow anyone who migrates to the United States as a minor to be eligible for legal residency. Then intern, and now executive director of Este Poder, Emily Pinal was an organizer of the petition and was reported to have delivered the 6,000 signatures to and met with then-Rep. Gohmert to advocate in support of the bill. 4
Criticisms of the Biden Administration
In June 2023, Justice for Our Neighbors North Central Texas co-signed an open letter to President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas criticizing the Biden administration for ineffectively carrying out its objective of reunifying migrant families. The letter goes on to advocate for expediting family reunion processes for migrants, allowing families of migrants to gain legal residency due to their alleged familial ties to migrants. 1
Legal Services
In January 2018, Justice for Our Neighbors North Central Texas (JFON DFW) hosted a series of workshops alongside advocacy group North Texas Dream Team where lawyers provided pro-bono legal services to immigrants in filling out their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program renewal applications. The workshop occurred after a U.S. District Judge extended the program temporarily after the Trump administration announced that it would be rescinding the program. Emily Pinal, later named Este Poder executive director, was also reported as assisting in facilitating the workshop while she was an intern for JFON DFW. 4 5
Unaccompanied No More is a JFON DFW program that was founded in 2022 and provides free legal services to unaccompanied-minor immigrants in the North and Central Texas regions. The program received its initial funding from the Permanent Endowment Fund of the Moody Methodist Church in Galveston, Texas, and it has since received funding from the Texas Bar Foundation and the National Immigration Law and Justice Network. 6
Leadership
Sid Earnheart is the executive director of Justice for Our Neighbors North Central Texas. 2 He also works as an attorney for Ball Morse Lowe, where he represents oil and gas companies. 7
Financials
In 2023, Justice for Our Neighbors Central North Texas reported $139,183 in total revenue and $164,646 in total expenses. 8
References
- “World Refugee Day 2023: Prioritize Family Reunification for Refugee Families.” Refugees International, June 29, 2023. https://www.refugeesinternational.org/advocacy-letters/world-refugee-day-2023-prioritize-family-reunification-for-refugee-families/.
- “About.” Justice for our Neighbors. Accessed October 14, 2024. https://jfondfw.org/about/.
- Earnheart, Sid. “Operation Lone Star Update.” Justice for our Neighbors. Accessed October 14, 2024. https://jfondfw.org/general/operation-lone-star-update/.
- Mansfield, Erin. “DREAM Act Petition with 6,000 Signatures Delivered to Louie Gohmert’s Office.” TylerPaper.com, October 9, 2018. https://tylerpaper.com/news/local/dream-act-petition-with-6-000-signatures-delivered-to-louie-gohmerts-office/article_75961560-f590-11e7-945a-b715885e5275.html.
- “Emily Pinal.” LinkedIn. Accessed October 14, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-pinal-555283147/details/experience/
- “UNM.” Justice for our Neighbors. Accessed October 14, 2024. https://jfondfw.org/unm/.
- “Sid Earnheart.” Ball Morse Lowe, PLLC. Accessed October 14, 2024. https://www.ballmorselowe.com/attorneys/energy-natural-resources/sid-earnheart.
- Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990EZ). Justice for Our Neighbors Central North Texas. 2023. Part I, Lines 9-17.