Building on more than a decade of work to advance immigrant rights, FIA East Bay organizes both to stop the targeting of immigrants and to support their ability to live and work in the region. A key element of this work is to organize forums that connect immigrants to needed services. More than 2100 people participated in immigration forums organized in eight congregations in Alameda and Contra Costa counties in 2019. Free legal guidance on immigration matters saved families approximately $200,000.
Our immigration reform work is about making sure that all people have the right to become a U.S. citizen. In the midst of the long-term fight to win citizenship, we have led efforts to address discriminatory policies that have targeted immigrant communities, torn families apart and created economic hardship for them.
In the absence of federal action, FIA East Bay leaders have collaborated with allies to serve over 1,000 immigrants with direct legal services, Know Your Rights trainings, and DACA enrollment. We organized to secure over $2 million in legal and mental health resources to serve unaccompanied minors in Oakland.
We continue to be on the forefront of pushing for justice for immigrants, whether it be mobilizing along with the PICO National Network — our umbrella organization — to urge Congress to pass a pathway to citizenship for the country’s 11 million aspiring Americans, or advocating on the state and county level for legislation that stops the practice of splitting up families.