Juan Carlos Balaguera, a 28-year-old migrant from Venezuela, left his hometown after he struggled to make ends meet working at a livestock farming business. 

Libsa Perez, another migrant, left Colombia last summer when she said she started receiving death threats from illegal armed forces who threatened her for working as a police officer. 

Upon arriving in the city, they were both referred to Nuala O’Doherty, a former attorney who transformed her own home basement into an immigration center. 

“I think it’s really important that they know there’s always a neighbor to help,” O’Doherty said. “They are not here alone.” 

O’Doherty translated Form 1-589 – the application for asylum – and uses her Spanish-language skills to communicate with every migrant who comes to the Jackson Heights Immigration Center.

She said part of the funding for the Jackson Heights Immigration Center comes from her affiliation with Together We Can, an organization that provides services to immigrant families in Elmhurst, Corona and Jackson Heights; the rest she pays for out of pocket. She does not get paid for running the center. 

The services are free, and the priority is making sure migrants apply for asylum. 

“You’re going to see them take this big sigh breath when I say ‘Here’s your receipt, you’ve applied’ because when you receive that receipt, it states you’re allowed to stay in the United States until this application is completed,” she said. “And for once, they feel secure here.”

O’Doherty started the process of opening the center in 2021, when she noticed many migrants from Colombia and Ecuador arriving in her Jackson Heights neighborhood.

She explains she understands the hardships migrants experience when navigating a new city, as her parents were immigrants from Ireland. Her husband is an immigrant from Ecuador, and her children are bilingual speakers. 

Her motive is to build a welcoming community for her family and others. 

“I’ve always said that I believe in community. I believe that you should feel like you're from some place and [in] all the projects I do, I really want to build that sense of community,” she said. “Thats why I think it's really important to welcome our newly arrived neighbors and to make them feel safe here.” 

According to the mayor’s office, more than 45,600 migrants have arrived in the city since last spring. 

“It’s kind of this never-ending stream of new people coming in, and it’s great to see how much hope they have in the future of New York City,” O’Doherty said. 

After arriving in the city this year, Balaguera was introduced to the center by his cousin, who also filed an application with the center. Balaguera filed for asylum the same day he requested assistance. 

“The first thing I want to do is get a job, obviously under the requirements of the law,” Balaguera said. “And if possible, I would like to learn English and begin the career I couldn’t in my country of becoming a professor, and also help my family.” 

Since arriving in the city, Perez started a job in construction. If she is granted asylum, she hopes to study law and help other immigrants like herself. 

“I told Mrs. O’Doherty about being part of this process to help others because many people are unaware that there are people like me, people like her, who help a lot,” she said. “You actually see your application move forward.” 

O’Doherty has gathered a small group of neighbors to volunteer their time to help migrants apply for asylum, but she hopes to recruit more volunteers as more migrants arrive in the neighborhood. 

“It’s great to see that energy. It’s great to see that hope and desire for what really is the American dream, and what we see kind of coming to fruition every day in Jackson Heights,” she said.