JERSEY CITY, NJ. September 18, 2024 (Hudson Latin Chamber) — The New Jersey Reentry Corporation (NJRC)—a non-profit agency with a social mission to remove all barriers to employment for court involved individuals—presented, with great success, on Tuesday, September 17, its 8th Annual Immigration Conference “The Children’s Journey: How Immigration Affects Children,” at St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in Union City, New Jersey. The conference welcomed physicians, healthcare professionals, lawyers, advocates, law enforcement, and social services to better support vulnerable children.
The event featured Nun Norma Pimentel, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, as the keynote speaker; and as hosts, the City of Union City Mayor Brian P. Stack and his Board of Commissioners, as well as former NJ Gov. Jim McGreevey and Reverend Bolivar Flores, Chairman of the Board, and Chief of Staff of NJRC. Among the guests at the 8th Annual Immigration Conference were Frank Mazza, Director of Hudson County Department of Housing & Reintegration; and Heidi Castrillon, President & CEO, Hudson County Latin American Chamber of Commerce (HCLACC), among other community leaders.
“Sister Norma Pimentel emphasized the impact of children being separated from their parents and detention in isolation from families. Sister & lawyers, non-profit, private, and governmental, recommended that families properly complete legal documents to ensure that children are protected with a designated foster parent in cases of parental detention or extradition,” highlighted the former Governor of New Jersey and Chairman of the NJRC, Jim McGreevey.
The NJRC is premised on the ambition to create an environment which promotes pro-social norms amongst court involved individuals, encouraging the establishment of attachments to positive rehabilitative cultures, strengthening bonds among peers who promote positive norms and values, and promoting family reunification to the end of increasing employment and decreasing recidivism.
