FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: San Juana Paramo, Communications Coordinator

Office: (402)315-1562

Mobile: (402)216-4317

OMAHA, NE – Immigrant Legal Center has selected Monica Meier as its new Director of Social Work. Meier will lead ILC’s social work program integrating high quality, pro bono immigration legal services with additional services that unaccompanied children and their family sponsors need for healthy integration to Nebraska communities.

“Monica brings a wealth of knowledge in direct clinic and social work care, working directly with the immigrant community in Nebraska,” said Erik Omar, Executive Director of Immigrant Legal Center. “We are excited to welcome Monica as our new Director of Social Work, and we know she is the right person to lead our new social work program providing much needed critical services to immigrant children in our community.”

For 16 years Meier has served the immigrant community in Nebraska providing bilingual counseling and social work services to immigrant families, including unaccompanied children and their families.

“I am thrilled about the opportunity to work with Immigrant Legal Center and to empower immigrants in our community to live with confidence and free from fear,” Meier said. “I especially look forward to helping unaccompanied children and their family sponsors get access to the critical services they need to become self-sufficient members of their new community.” 

In response to the overwhelming need for services for unaccompanied children, ILC joined the Unaccompanied Child Online Referral Database (UCORD) network and has begun receiving referrals for unaccompanied children who are released to Nebraska family sponsors. On average, Nebraska receives 385 unaccompanied children per year. However, in fiscal year 2021 Nebraska received 890 unaccompanied children. ILC’s new program will connect unaccompanied children resettled in Nebraska and their family sponsors with immigration legal services and other critical resources.

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ABOUT IMMIGRANT LEGAL CENTER

As Nebraska and southwest Iowa’s largest nonprofit immigration legal services provider, Immigrant Legal Center is focused on empowering immigrants to live with confidence and free from fear. Through legal services, education, and advocacy, ILC is unique in our ability to meet the ever-changing needs of immigrant communities because of our people, our partners, and our promise to never turn any family away due to inability to pay. Learn more at www.immigrantlc