As more refugees arrive in San Diego than ever before, resettlement agencies – such as JFS – are negatively affected by the slashed arrival cap. CEO Michael Hopkins criticizes this new policy as a betrayal of our nation’s founding principles.

A group of lawyers headed by the JFS immigration team have organized Know Your Rights presentations for asylum-seekers in San Diego. Over three days, 100 individuals received vital legal information to assist them in their asylum cases.

JFS receives funding to continue to help permanent residents and refugees assimilate into American culture and prepare for citizenship.

The new cap on refugee resettlements has drastically affected the number of people arriving in San Diego. Our Director of Refugee Services, Etleva Bejko, explains the changing demographics of the refugees who are still allowed to enter the U.S.

This two-part series details the poor medical care asylum-seekers receive while in ICE custody and highlights how humanitarian organizations, such as the San Diego Rapid Response Network, often have to treat migrants with severe health issues.

The JFS Higher Education Legal Services assists students, staff, and faculty on campus who need assistance with their immigration status. This program includes DACA renewals, Know-Your-Rights workshops, general consultations, and many other targeted legal services.

Our award-winning On the Go: Navigator transportation service is taking part in a pilot program that connects older adults with free Lyft rides to their local senior center.

“These findings raise serious due process concerns,” said Kate Clark, JFS Senior Director of Immigration Services. “If asylum-seeking families are not being given vital instructions about their immigration proceedings in a language they can read or understand, how can we expect them to navigate an already complex legal process that is increasingly stacked against them?”

Seeking Asylum by the U. S. Immigration Policy Center (USIPC) at UC San Diego – Read the full report

Tom K. Wong, director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at UCSD, highlights the abuses asylum-seeking families experience in federal immigration detention facilities. Wong and his team independently analyzed data from 17,000+ asylum-seekers who came through our Migrant Family Shelter and uncovered a trend of substandard living conditions, physical and verbal abuse, and inaccurate legal information at these facilities.

Seeking Asylum by the U. S. Immigration Policy Center (USIPC) at UC San Diego – Read the full report

JFS is applying for a county grant to provide hot meals to older adults at the Ed Brown Center in Rancho Bernardo. In addition to the nutritious low-cost meals, our award-winning On the Go transportation program would offer rides to and from the center to ensure the meal program is easily accessible for the whole community.

Don Harrison visits Remembrance and Hope at our JFS – Joan & Irwin Jacobs Campus.

The JFS Higher Education Legal Services program provides students, staff, and faculty with access to immigration attorneys and critical legal services. We are proud to support the CSU community and ensure everyone has the opportunity to pursue higher education regardless of their country of origin.

After four months in Tijuana, the wife and children of a US citizen were allowed to continue their asylum case in the US. They stayed in our Migrant Family Shelter before reconnecting with family and preparing for immigration court.

Despite being 50 years apart in age, Joann and Golan bring warmth and adventure into each other’s lives – and it all started with our Friendly Visitor program.

The Duwara Consciousness Foundation served the first meal out of their new food truck to people living in their vehicles at our Aero Drive safe parking lot. JFS Director of Strategic Partnerships, Carole Yellen, talks about how the donated dinner provided more than a meal – it brought a sense of community to unsheltered San Diegans.

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Without attorney representation, migrants are having a hard time preparing for their asylum interviews if forced to Remain in Mexico. And some face grave dangers if forced to stay in Mexico and need protection. “Fear of Return” protection is very difficult to come by.

From the article: “Where the federal government is failing, JFS is stepping up,” said Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda). Members of the Jewish and Latino legislative caucuses toured our Migrant Family Shelter and an ICE detention center to get a first-hand look at the difficult journey asylum-seekers face.

Jewish Family Service’s “On the Go” program in conjunction with Ed Brown Center is one of three senior centers selected from across the country to test an outreach and education program connecting older adults with ridesharing services, so they can participate in health and wellness programs.

Migrants who are returned to Mexico to wait for their court date under the MPP are at a high risk for kidnapping, human trafficking, and extortion. Our immigration attorney Luis Gonzalez talks about the danger asylum-seekers, particularly women with young children, face during their stay in Tijuana. The legal team at JFS is dedicated to representing vulnerable families as they search for a better life in the United States.

This frontpage Union-Tribune story investigates the challenges and importance of legal representation for asylum seekers who fall under Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), otherwise known as Remain in Mexico.

A group of local artists sold handmade mugs to raise money for the JFS Migrant Family Shelter. The fundraiser brought in $2,500, which will directly support asylum-seeking families as they search for a better life in the U.S.

A mother and her child – assisted by our pro-bono immigration attorneys – attempted to plead their case for asylum in U.S. immigration court. This mother and her teenage son are running from gangs in El Salvador that killed other members of their family. Even though they have already been robbed in Mexico and live in constant fear of being found by the gangs, this family has been placed in the Migrant Protection Protocols and must remain in Mexico until they can pass a “credible fear” interview. Our legal team will continue to fight for this family, and many others like them, in the hopes of helping them find safer and more secure lives in the U.S.

Click here to watch the video from KPBS (The story begins at the 3:15 mark)
Click here to read the KPBS article

“Some of the asylum-seekers do have support on the north side of the border, but it’s difficult to access that support when it’s across an international line,” says JFS Immigration Attorney Leah Chavarria.

The Oakland, California, Fox station highlights the work of two students who’ve founded a nonprofit that collects handwritten letters for Latin American migrants. This past June, dozens of Cartas Con Amor were delivered to the JFS Migrant Family Shelter. Learn more about their mission and their visit to our shelter: https://www.cartasconamor.org/

As part of the I Am An Immigrant Campaign, #ToImmigrantsWithLove encourages everyone to donate to organizations serving our immigrant community. The San Diego Rapid Response Network is featured on their list of organizations making a difference at the border.