One asylum-seeker stuck indefinitely in Mexico as a result of coronavirus-related closures and restrictions said it will take “a miracle” for him to survive in his current circumstances until President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Luis Gonzalez, JFS Supervising Immigration Attorney, is interviewed.

“Having access to a reliable personal vehicle at a low interest rate can be a game changer,” says CEO Michael Hopkins. “Where most lenders see a risk, we see a family.”

Earlier this week Jewish Family Service was proud to recommend long-time College Avenue Center participant John Kernowski for a Fox 5 San Diego Neighborhood All-Star feature. To help John celebrate his 104th birthday, the JFS team delivered him a cake with his Foodmobile delivery and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him with many of his Center friends on Zoom.

Leah Chavarria, Director of Immigration Services at JFS, speaks to the actions President-elect Biden can take on day one to change the “Remain in Mexico” policy for asylum seekers.

Chris Olsen, our new Director of Public Policy and External Affairs, optimistically discusses San Diego in 2021 and plans to address homelessness in San Diego moving forward.

JFS and other immigration advocates have filed a new lawsuit, which aims to end the controversial “Remain in Mexico” program.

JFS along with other legal representatives for asylum seekers who have been forced to wait in Mexico for U.S. hearings are suing the federal government over the Trump administration’s Migrant Protection Protocols.

JFS food distribution programs are mentioned in this story about a virtual workshop by Founders First CDC that has the goal of helping Black small business owners succeed.

This is how dire things have gotten: Being enrolled in the so-called Remain in Mexico program is no longer the worst-case scenario for asylum-seekers. Luis Gonzalez, Jewish Family Service supervising attorney, is interviewed about what asylum-seekers are experiencing in Mexico from security concerns to the pandemic.

This front-page story features a story about the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which may be determined by who wins the presidency in November. Leah Chavarria, Jewish Family Service’s Director of Immigration Services, is interviewed. Our team of lawyers are currently representing 80 families in hopes of having their children being included in the DACA program. Most of the family’s applications have not been accepted. “Parents just want their children to be safe” Chavarria says in the article.

Our Higher Education Legal Services (HELS) team is offering workshops on college campuses to help DACA recipients and offer other resources.

JFS Director of Parenting and Youth Services, Autumn Weidman, joined Morning Extra Monday to discuss our Positive Parenting Program that helps parents and caregivers of all ages. Register at www.jfssd.org/positiveparentingcourse.

Sandra Schller of the Chula Vista Heritage Museum interviews Harry Rosen, a longtime member of our College Avenue Center. During Covid-19, he has relied on receiving frozen meals. In this interview, his optimism comes across as he talks about his family’s experience during the Holocaust and his life now. At the 37:08 time stamp, he talks about JFS.

The economic strain of the coronavirus pandemic has more Americans turning to food banks and charity for help feeding their family. “I want people to understand, the face of the needy is different now,” said Ms. Cazimero, who depends on the drive-thru distribution at Jewish Family Service as part of her daily routine to feed her family.

Hedy Dalin, JFS Director of Care Management, was interviewed by Sandra Scheller, museum curator of the Chula Vista Heritage Museum, which is currently featuring an exhibit, Project Ruth, which focuses on Holocaust Survivors.

The coronavirus’ disproportionate impact on Latinos has exposed chronic disparities in health, housing and income throughout the county.

Lea Bush, Senior Director of Family & Community Services, discusses the goal of the parking lot is to provide a safe space to sleep for newly homeless people who are temporarily living in their vehicles, the homeless population that often goes unnoticed.

The non-profit Jewish Family Service of San Diego distributes the state payments in the form of prepaid debit cards. They go to undocumented people impacted by the pandemic in San Diego and Imperial Counties, where around 7% of the state’s undocumented population lives.

Noun Abdelaziz, outreach coordinator for our Breaking Down Barriers program, sees herself as a “citizen of the world.” At JFS, she is destigmatizing mental health and bringing her community’s voice forward.

Two days after the mom gave birth in a San Diego hospital, the mother was given a choice: Go back to Mexico with or without her newborn, who is a U.S. citizen by birthright. “That’s not a choice. That’s not a legitimate choice,” said Mitra Ebadolahi, an attorney with the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties. She said the mother and the baby returned to Mexico.

Luis Gonzalez, Jewish Family Service Immigration Attorney, details why a family should not have been expelled to Mexico in this video interview.

“This family should have been granted release into the U.S. to await their asylum proceedings, as the Department of Homeland Security has done with more than 23,500 individuals – all in family units – over the past one and a half years across the San Diego border region,” Gonzalez said.

When an asylum-seeking family from Honduras crossed the border last month, Border Patrol agents separated the parents and quickly sent the father and young son to Mexico. The mother was sent to a hospital in Chula Vista where she gave birth. She was then returned to Tijuana a few days later with their newborn son — a U.S. citizen.
Attorneys with Jewish Family Service and the American Civil Liberties Union said that the family should’ve been allowed to wait for its asylum case in the United States.

“During the entire process, she was in pain from giving birth and she felt no choice but to go into Mexico,” the family’s attorney said.

“That’s not a choice. That’s not a legitimate choice,” said Mitra Ebadolahi, a lawyer with the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties. “These people both, both the mother and the father, were literally driven in a patrol vehicle to the border and forced to walk across into Mexico by armed agents. I don’t see choices there.

On Friday, the ACLU and Jewish Family Service of San Diego filed a complaint to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General, and a request to simply allow the family to enter the U.S. to continue their asylum process.