Informing communities - Katarina Martucci
For immigrants in the United States facing an unjust and confusing system, access to information is key. Knowing their rights, the immigration processes and who they can trust is essential to ensuring individuals are able to navigate the system. But it’s not always easy to get information to communities that need it.
Immigration advocates must get creative, pioneering new programs and strategies to make sure immigrants of all ages get the information they need. Three IJC Fellows share stories of programs they have started, in collaboration with their host organizations, and the impact they have seen in their communities.
Katarina Martucci, a 2024 Justice Fellow working at the New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children, discusses a program she started that brings free legal services into schools. Katarina is a graduate of New York University School of Law.
Over the course of my IJC Fellowship with the New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (NJCIC), I am proud to have launched New Jersey’s first Educational-Legal Partnership that integrates immigration legal services directly into school settings.
The idea for this program, called Beacon, grew out of Know Your Rights presentations NJCIC gave in local schools. During these sessions, NJCIC shared information about legal options like asylum and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)—a pathway to legal residency for young people under 21 who have experienced abuse, abandonment, or neglect by one or both parents. During these presentations, students often realized for the first time that they might qualify for relief and approached my colleagues, urgently seeking legal help. Too often, students who are eligible for relief fall through the cracks because they lack access to timely legal guidance. Missing critical deadlines can cost students their only path to permanent legal status and leave them to navigate adulthood without security or stability. Beacon was created to address this gap by reaching students in spaces where they already feel safe and supported.
NJCIC piloted Beacon in Jersey City because our office is located there, allowing us to develop close relationships in our community, and because Jersey City is ethnically and linguistically diverse, with over 40% of the city’s population born outside of the U.S.
Since launching the program at two partner high schools, I’ve presented to faculty and hundreds of students on immigration relief options, students’ rights, and how to receive legal assistance. Students can self-refer and meet with me at their schools. By embedding legal services directly into the school setting, students can access help in a familiar, trusted environment without disrupting their education. Through Beacon, I’ve reached many students who otherwise would not have accessed legal services, either because of financial barriers or because they didn’t realize that they were eligible for relief.
Through this partnership, I have advised and represented students from a wide range of backgrounds. Because my IJC funding does not restrict whom I can represent, I’ve filled existing gaps in representation. I’ve offered services to unaccompanied children, as well as children who arrived with a parent, those who have lived in the U.S. for years, and many who are now over 18 and still eligible for SIJS.
An unexpected success has been the deep collaboration with school administrators, faculty, and support staff. As fears related to immigration enforcement have grown, many educators have sought guidance on how to support students. Through this partnership, we work together to clarify district policies and reassure students and families. Now, when students turn to trusted staff in urgent situations, staff know where to refer them and can trust that their students will be met with care. I have been able to quickly support students with upcoming immigration court hearings or imminent deadlines, helping to alleviate the intense stress and fear of navigating complex legal systems alone.
Beacon has become a vital part of Jersey City Public Schools’ broader care network. A growing word-of-mouth support system has emerged alongside our program. Like the promotores community health model, existing client-students have become essential ambassadors of Beacon. Students refer friends, and caregivers refer other caregivers, creating an organic, community-driven referral network that increases the agency of immigrant students who seek to more actively participate in building pathways to justice.
It has been meaningful to build a program that fills a critical gap in services and empowers both students and educators in a complex and overwhelming system. Beacon’s growth demonstrates what is possible when advocates commit to creating safe, responsive spaces grounded in collaboration and care. Now more than ever, schools are havens for immigrant youth, and Beacon has become a bright spot, shining through the darkness and guiding students towards stability, opportunity, and hope.
