Links & resources
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Immigration Center for Women and Children (ICWC)
The Immigration Center for Women and Children (ICWC) is a non-profit legal organization providing free and affordable immigration services to underrepresented immigrants in California and Nevada. ICWC strives to provide security and stability for children who are abused, abandoned or neglected and for immigrants who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and other violent crimes.
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Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project
Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project is a project of Catholic Charities of Los Angeles. Over the past 15 years, Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project has become one of the leading immigration-focused public interest organizations in the country. Esperanza is made up of a team of passionate staff, interns, and volunteers who work together to advance the rights of vulnerable immigrants through education, representation, and advocacy.
Their vision is to inspire hope and advance social justice for immigrants. Our mission is to serve some of the most vulnerable people in the Los Angeles Area – immigrants facing deportation from the U.S. At Esperanza we believe that immigrant rights are human rights.
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Immigration Justice Project (IJP)
The mission of the ABA Immigration Justice Project (IJP) is to promote due process and access to justice at all levels of the immigration and appellate court system, through the provision of high-quality pro bono legal services for those in immigration proceedings in San Diego. The IJP serves both detained and non-detained individuals, and recruits, trains, and mentors volunteer attorneys and law students representing clients.
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The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles (CRP)
The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles (CRP) is co-directed by Gary Orfield and Patricia Gándara, professors at UCLA, and housed in the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies. Founded in 1996 at Harvard University by Orfield and Christopher Edley, the CRP’s mission is to create a new generation of research in social science and law on the critical issues of civil rights and equal opportunity for racial and ethnic groups in the United States. It has commissioned more than 400 studies, published more than 25 books and issued numerous reports from authors at universities and research centers across the country. The Supreme Court, in its 2003 Grutter v. Bollinger decision upholding affirmative action, and in Justice Breyer’s dissent (joined by three other Justices) to its 2007 Parents Involved in Community Schools decision, cited the Civil Rights Project’s research.
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CARECEN
Since its founding in 1983, when thousands of Central Americans fled the brutality of civil war, CARECEN has been working to change an unjust immigration system, win legal status for immigrants, and foster community activism on issues such as education reform, workers’ and immigrants’ rights, economic justice and community strengthening. CARECEN, the largest Central American immigrant rights organization in the country, empowers Central Americans and all immigrants by defending human and civil rights, working for social and economic justice, and promoting cultural diversity. We envision Los Angeles becoming a place where Central Americans and all other communities live in peace and dignity, enjoying economic well-being,social justice, and political empowerment.
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CHIRLA
CHIRLA’S mission is to achieve a just society, fully inclusive of immigrants. CHIRLA was founded in 1986 to advance the human and civil rights of immigrants and refugees. CHIRLA was envisioned as a place for organizations and individuals concerned with human rights to work together on policies to advance justice and full inclusion for all immigrants.
CHIRLA’s first director was Father Luis Olivares, the pastor at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church. As a leading voice of the Sanctuary movement, Olivares used his church to protect refugees fleeing human rights abuses in Central America in the 1980s.
CHIRLA has since become one of the largest and most effective advocates for immigrant rights, organizing, educating and defending immigrants and refugees in the streets, in the courts, and in the halls of power. At CHIRLA, civically engaged immigrants and their families working for a world where they are free to move, participate in democracy, and enjoy human rights. CHIRLA takes its cue from the power, love, and vision of our community to organize and build power among people, institutions, and coalitions to change public opinion and craft progressive policies for full human, civil and labor rights for everyone.
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California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC)
The California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) is a constituent-based statewide immigrant rights organization with offices in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and Oakland. It is the premier immigrant rights institution in the state. CIPC advocates for policies that uphold the humanity of immigrants and refugees while advancing racial, social and economic justice.
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California Community Foundation (Calfund)
CalFund’s mission is to lead positive systemic change that strengthens Los Angeles communities. They envision a future where all Angelenos have the opportunity to contribute to the productivity, health and well-being of the region. And believe that our common fate will be determined by how successfully we improve the quality of life for all of our residents. The impact they help create is of, by and for Los Angeles, because the community is their foundation.
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ACLU Southern California
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) defends the fundamental rights outlined in the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These include the right to freedom of speech and assembly, the right to religious freedom, due process of law, equality before the law and the right to privacy. The ACLU also relies on state constitutional provisions and federal and state laws that further these and similar rights.
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PUBLIC COUNSEL
Public Counsel is the largest pro bono law firm in the, nation. We work with major law firms and corporations to, change people's futures.
Our staff of 71 attorneys and 50 support staff - including five social workers - along with over 5,000 volunteer lawyers, law students and legal professionals assists over 30,000 children, youth, families, and community organizations every year.
Founded in 1970, Public Counsel is the public interest law firm of the Los Angeles County and Beverly Hills Bar Associations as well as the Southern California affiliate of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
Public Counsel's activities are far-ranging and impact a wide spectrum of people who live at or below the poverty level. Volunteer attorneys have the opportunity to work on a variety of different projects-large and small, litigation and transactional matters. Our staff provides training, model pleadings and forms and consultations to volunteers.
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United We Dream
United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led community in the country. We create welcoming spaces for young people – regardless of immigration status – to support, engage, and empower them to make their voice heard and win!
We have an online reach of over 4 million and are made up of over 400,000 members as well as 5 statewide branches and over 100 local groups across 28 states. Over 60% of our members are womxn and 20% identify as LGBTQ. We are made up of fearless youth fighting to improve the lives of ourselves, our families and our communities. Our vision is a society which celebrates our diversity and we believe in leading a multi-ethnic, intersectional path to get there.
Whether we’re organizing in the streets, building cutting edge technology systems, opening doors for LGBTQ immigrant youth, clearing pathways to education, stopping deportations or creating alliances across social movements, United We Dream puts undocumented immigrant youth in the driver’s seat to strategize, innovate and win.
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INFORMED IMMIGRANT
InformedImmigrant.com is dedicated to increasing access to resources and knowledge for the undocumented immigrant community across the U.S. We understand that these times are especially hard on immigrant communities dealing with the unique challenges of coronavirus and immigration status.
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The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) provides training and resources to ensure that legal services address these complex issues and are provided in a culturally competent manner. Our manual, LGBTQ Immigration: Ensuring Equality for All, provides practice tips and legal guidance for service providers of all levels of experience. The ILRC is committed to advancing local and federal policies that are responsive to the experiences of all members of the immigrant community, including LGBT individuals.
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Families In Schools
To involve parents and communities in their children’s education to achieve lifelong success.
Families In Schools envisions a public education system where students have all the opportunities and resources necessary to succeed in school and in life. We seek a workforce prepared for lifelong learning, and active engagement in the civic life of our society. Guided by this belief, the mission of Families In Schools is to involve parents and communities in their children’s education to achieve lifelong success.
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The Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs
The Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs has compiled this comprehensive resource guide to provide Angelenos with important information about support and assistance that is available to them across a variety of issues. We’ve sourced this information from trusted community partners and immigrant rights advocates, and compiled it into a single guide that can be shared and distributed widely.