Many of us are concerned about our sisters and brothers who are living in fear as the government continues to arrest asylum-seekers and separate families at our border, harass immigrants and Dreamers and those with Temporary Protected Status, and hold people in detention with cruel and inadequate protection. Here are ways you can help.
Orange County Rapid Response Network (OC RRN)
- Hotline: 657-210-0157 (ICE raids/activity)
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- Join the OC Rapid Response Network
- Become a First Responder
- Support with:
- ICE Check ins
- Court Accompaniment (Criminal & Immigration)
- Pay Bonds
- Advocacy Efforts
- Immediate needs
- To get involved, contact the OC Rapid Response Coordinator.
- Contact: ana@resilienceoc.org
- Join the OC Rapid Response Network
Haitian Bridge Alliance
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- https://www.haitianbridge.org/
- Accompaniment to asylum seekers after release from detention centers
- Organize backpack item drive; pre-paid cell phone, gift cards for food or clothing and personal hygiene items.
- Haitian Bridge Alliance need for volunteers:
- Medical Trips to the border
- ESL for new immigrants in OC, SD and LA
- Transitional housing and support
- ICE check in
- Letter writing
- Diaper collection for Children ages newborn to 3 years
- Contact: Guerline Jozef, guerline.jozef@gmail.com
CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice)
- Host a CLUE presentation about asylum seekers at your organization or congregations
- Sponsor a legal or bond fund for an asylum seeker
- Resources:
- Congregation or individual sponsoring for housing an asylum seeker for temporary or longer term housing
- Logistics support for hosting congregation or individual host (funds for living expenses, transportation)
- Contact: CLUE, lgarcia@cluejustice.org
Detention Visitation
- Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that, some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. — Hebrews 13:2-4
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- Friends of Orange County Detainees
- Join the CLUE Immigration Detention Visiting Program at Adelanto
OC Justice Fund
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- https://ocjusticefund.org/
- The OCJF is dedicated to generating support for transformative and effective legal representation for some of the most vulnerable members of the Orange County community. An estimated 310,000 undocumented immigrants live in Orange County, and are at risk of detention and deportation. The Orange County Justice Fund (OCJF) was created in 2017 through a collaboration of attorneys, law professors, and grassroots leaders to ensure that no Orange County resident is forced to defend themselves from deportation without an attorney, and to provide support so that those individuals eligible to be released from detention can do so without being financially devastated.
- https://ocjusticefund.org/
Locally
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- Border Angels (San Diego) borderangels.org
- Catholic Charities catholic charities.org
- CLUE (OC & LA) cluejustice.org
- Friends of Orange County Detainees friendsofocdetainees.org
- Haitian Bridge Alliance (OC & San Diego) haitianbridge.org
- Korean Resource Center https://krcla.org/en
- LGBT Center OC https://www.lgbtcenteroc.org/
- Orange County Jewish Coalition for Refugees: https://theocjcr.wixsite.com/website
- Public Law Center https://www.publiclawcenter.org/
- Resilience OC. Resilienceoc.org
- Solidarity solidaritynpo.org
- Immigrant Rights Clinic – UCI https://www.law.uci.edu/academics/real-life-learning/clinics/immigrant-rights.html
- Western State College of Law https://www.wsulaw.edu/
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Nationally & internationally
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- ALCU alcu.org
- AMMPARO ELCA.org/ammparo
- Bend the Arc https://www.bendthearc.us/
- Freedom for Immigrants freedomforimmigrants.org
- HIAS https://www.hias.org/
- Lutheran World Relief lwr.org
- Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services
- Mennonite Social Action Commission https://casmcopanenglish.weebly.com/
- Orange County Jewish Coalition for Refugees https://theocjcr.wixsite.com/website
- RAICES https://www.raicestexas.org/
- UNITED We Dream https://unitedwedream.org/
- World Relief worldrelief.org
Immigrants’ Rights in OC and SoCal – A Few Resources
ACLU of Southern California
https://www.aclusocal.org/en/issues/immigrant-rights
ACLU Sues to Stop ICE from Transferring Jailed Immigrants Out of California
https://www.aclusocal.org/en/pr-arroyo-dhs-lawsuit
Activate Labs
Provides legal and social support to migrants, works on changing the narratives and countering the way mass media has dehumanized migrants, and partners with many groups on the ground in Tijuana and in the US.
Al Otro Lado
https://alotrolado.org/who-we-are/
A 501(c)(3) non-profit incorporated in California which provides direct legal services to indigent deportees, migrants, and refugees in Tijuana, Mexico.
Elizabeth Guthrie’s Blog
Betty is a retired UCI professor (French language program) who is a DOJ Accredited Representative. She represents asylum seekers and other immigrants facing deportation. Her blog is an eye-opening account of some of her experiences, including her work at the border: https://beinghere353.wordpress.com/
Freedom for Immigrants
https://www.freedomforimmigrants.org/
Friends of Orange County Detainees
http://friendsofocdetainees.org/
Haitian Bridge Alliance, Inc.
https://www.haitianbridge.org/
Home for Refugees
A 501(c)(3) located in Mission Viejo
https://www.homeforrefugeesusa.org/
The Orange County Jewish Coalition for Refugees
https://theocjcr.wixsite.com/website
Orange County Justice Fund
https://ocjusticefund.org/our-goals/
OCJF is a 501(c)(3), created in 2017 through a collaboration of attorneys, law professors, and grassroots leaders to ensure that no Orange County resident is forced to defend themself from deportation without an attorney, and to provide support so that those individuals eligible to be released from detention can do so without being financially devastated.
Public Law Center
https://www.publiclawcenter.org/services/immigration/
Resilience OC
A report outlining the state of immigration enforcement in OC as of January 2019, with some context and history, published by Resilience OC, the UCI Law School Immigrant Rights Clinic and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
https://resilienceoc.org/the-state-of-orange-county/
The California Department of Justice’s Review of Immigration Detention in California
February 2019
Xavier Becerra, California Attorney General
World Relief Southern California
Sam Mihara
Sam lives in Orange County, and was imprisoned with his family here in the U.S. during WWII due to his Japanese heritage. Sam speaks all over the U.S. about that history and relates that policy to our present immigration detention system. Check out his website to learn about his work and his speaking schedule:
Some sources for immigration statistics:
American Immigration Council
http://americanimmigrationcouncil.org/
National Immigrant Justice Center
https://www.immigrantjustice.org/
Immigration & Crime – Is the Narrative Fact or Fiction?
A presentation by Charis E. Kubrin – UCI Professor of Criminology, Law and Society
Laguna Woods Democratic Club – April 16, 2019
Books
“They Take Our Jobs!”: and 20 Other Myths About Immigration – by Aviva Chomsky
Exiled: From the Killing Fields of Cambodia to California and Back – by Katya Cengel
NYT Editorial Board Opinion Article – June 24, 2019
“There’s No Excuse for Mistreating Children at the Border. Here’s What To Do About It.”
Lots of good recommendations and links in this article from the NYT Editorial Board:
**** Thank you to Lucero and Tim Burns for putting this info together.