As a graduate social work intern at the Venezuelan Alliance for Community Support (VACS), I supported refugees and asylum seekers from South America at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. VACS was founded in 2022 by Rosa Bramble Caballero, a licensed clinical social worker and Venezuelan immigrant, in response to unmet needs for social support and mental health services for this population.

Our founder recognized the unique traumas asylum seekers face: pre-migratory trauma as they contemplate leaving their home country; migratory trauma as they confront dangerous conditions crossing multiple borders; and post-migratory trauma as they navigate the U.S. legal system to request asylum and establish new lives free from persecution. To support them, I co-conducted interviews to understand clients’ life histories and the experiences that led them to flee Venezuela. I co-authored psychosocial and family dynamics evaluations that accompanied their immigration cases.

When interviewing clients, I applied motivational interviewing techniques I learned at the Columbia University School of Social Work to explore their experiences and mental health impacts. I reduced language barriers by speaking in Spanish and applying cultural humility. I also facilitated biweekly support groups for 'Nuestros Héroes,' undocumented responders who participated in the recovery and clean-up efforts at Ground Zero after September 11, 2001. Listening to their stories underscored the continuing need for long-term support. Many face chronic health conditions, such as respiratory issues and post-traumatic stress disorder, and struggle financially. I researched recent legislation and funding bills for the 9/11 Compensation Fund and identified key policy stakeholders to advocate for increased support and awareness. I applied policy advocacy skills to interpret legal language and develop clear requests for legislators.

Although I am a professionally fluent but non-native Spanish speaker, I was challenged by colloquial language when clients described their upbringing. I consulted colleagues and dictionaries to capture their experiences accurately. I shared clients’ collective experiences at the biweekly Case Management Community Advisory Board meetings hosted by NYC Health + Hospitals. These mezzo-level interventions brought together stakeholders from various organizations to update needs, provide feedback on services at the Roosevelt Hotel’s Arrival Center, and discuss policy implications of the current administration. Navigating rapidly changing immigration policies, tracking ICE raids, and responding to funding cuts required intensive research, policy tracking, and consultations with legal experts to communicate changes to clients.

This internship taught me that advocacy does not happen in a silo. We must learn from one another and remain persistent in advocating for the needs of undocumented neighbors. Whether through individual conversations and asylum reports, learning best practices from colleagues, or policy advocacy at local, state, and federal levels, we must continue supporting marginalized populations. I look forward to continuing to support the behavioral health of immigrants as I complete my master’s degrees in social work and public health at Columbia.