From the desk of Rosa Cándida Ramírez, DOJ Accredited Legal Representative.

This year we have had the very exciting opportunity to receive funding from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to underwrite the cost of providing Naturalization services and DACA renewal services for over 125 immigrants who are living below the poverty line. Additionally, the funding covers the very expensive filing fees that the US government charges to renew DACA and to become a US Citizen. These fees are so prohibitively expensive that many immigrants must defer or even forgo much needed legal services.

We are pleased to be able to clear away a significant hurdle standing in the way of our client's dreams. As of last week, the IRCSGV has helped cover the application fees for 59 people seeking citizenship (accounting for $42,775 in filing fees) and 68 people seeking to renew their DACA (accounting for $33,660 in filing fees.) That means the IRCSGV has been able to save 127 clients $76,000 in filing fees and over 70,000 in attorney fees.

By opening this door, clients who cannot afford an attorney were able to benefit from high quality, free representation with dignity at the IRCSGV. Thank you for supporting us on this amazing journey!

Did you know...

• Over 800,000 individuals have received DACA since 2012?

• The average age of a DACA recipient is 28?

• The majority of DACA recipients participate in the labor force, contributing an estimated $13.3 billion annually?

• The Majority of DACA recipients work in industries such as healthcare, business services, and education?

• Nearly 40% of DACA recipients are married  and nearly 50% have US born children?

There is no doubt that DACA recipients are deeply rooted in our society, contributing through their lives, education and careers to make our communities stronger. It is an ongoing concern that DACA recipients still face the possibility of deportation. 

The IRC is excited to announce that we have been chosen to receive a grant that allows us to offer 60 free consultations for DACA recipients to renew their DACA. In addition, the grant includes covering the cost for each Dreamer's government filing fee of $495. For a young immigrant, the renewal process can seem pointless as Congress seems to have no appetite to create a pathway to citizenship for these Dreamers. Additionally, to continue to renew every two years to the tune of $495, may also seem insurmountable. We are thrilled to be able to allay fears and frustrations by offering this service to our immigrant neighbors for free! If you know someone who needs to renew their DACA, they can register for an appointment on our new Acuity system here: ircsgv.as.me 

*The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was created under former president Barack Obama, to protect eligible young adults who were brought to the U.S. as children from deportation and to provide them with work authorization for temporary, renewable periods.

I arrived early and my clients arrived earlier. I walked up to the party of 7 waiting outside the federal building doors for me. Mom, Dad, 4 young children, an interpreter, and a friend. This was a very important interview. This family was evacuated from the Kabul Airport in Afghanistan during the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal in 2021. The husband and father of this family had worked faithfully for the U.S. military for 8 years. He had already received a high-clearance Chief of Mission Special Immigrant Visa, but stress was high as he was still subject to intense questioning.

Thankfully, the USCIS officer assigned to our case is an expert in Afghan issues. He greeted the family in Persian Dari and spoke the language with them whenever he could. He addressed the wife and mother with respect, and he offered the children candy and stickers at the end of the interview. Our client did very well during the interview, he spoke his truth. I glanced over at the family. Two children sharing a chair, the one closest to the wall asleep, face smushed into the arm rest. We had waited for two hours just to be seen. The children had every reason to be fussy. And yet, the parents treated them with grace and sweetness, in the midst of great stress, recounting the days of evacuation, recounting the years of living in active combat. They were some of the lucky ones--the whole family was able to make it out together. They were able to find each other at the airport, to obtain clearance through several checkpoints, and to not be stopped by the Taliban on the way to the airport. Their unity was palpable, passing the baby back and forth without a question. As our client answered questions, he rocked the youngest baby in his arms. I was struck by the resilience of this family. They have every reason to be bitter and hardened, yet they remain tender and loving. They displayed that their humanity will not be broken by dehumanization. Like many who have lost almost everything, they seem at peace with the fact that they can't always be in control. After four hours, we exited the building.In a display of tenderness and humanity, the family invited me to lunch at their home. We ate and drank with tranquility. Please keep this family in mind in the next few weeks. We wait and hope for a full approval.

by Bree Salthouse

On my first day of highschool, I met a girl named Juliana* in my Freshman biology class who soon became one of my best friends. She lived right across the street from school, with her mother, father, and two sisters. It was not long before I was visiting her house almost every day after school, where I got to practice Spanish with her parents, eat amazing food, and learn to flip hot tortillas with my hands. As a “member of the family”, I watched the World Cup with her family, was invited to dance in quinceañeras, and learned to play games like Lotería at countless sleepovers. My senior year, I learned that Juliana’s family was undocumented and had been living in fear of being deported all this time. When I learned this, my heart broke, and I made a secret promise to myself that one day I would help them and others like them.

Fast forward to 2014, I began working at a nonprofit youth mentoring organization, and became devoted to the community of Azusa and its families. I never forgot about my promise to someday help Juliana and her family. One summer I learned about the Department of Justice (DOJ) Recognition and Accreditation (R&A) program. Accreditation would allow someone like me to be able to operate under an approved nonprofit providing immigration legal services and actually be able to provide legal services under the supervision of an attorney. I knew I needed to be able to get the training without leaving my job, and wanted to be able to accumulate broad knowledge quickly. As I researched, I found a program called VIISTA (Villanova Interdisciplinary Immigration Studies Training for Advocates), the first of its kind to provide affordable, 100% online, and asynchronous education to train immigrant advocates to become Accredited Representatives. I signed up and started the program in August of 2021.

In September 2022, I found the IRC and started volunteering 10 hours a week. The staff of the IRC immediately began to invest in me, provide training, love, and support. As a result, I am now a Fully-Accredited Representative! My dream to help Juliana was about to come true. Soon, I was able to connect with Juliana again and become her legal representative. Together, we successfully applied for her Advance Parole, allowing Juliana to have permission to legally leave the US and return, and opening up a pathway for her to now apply for a Green Card.

Because of this journey, she will be able to have more stability with her husband, have children, and in a few years apply for naturalization and petition for the rest of her family to have permanent residency as well. I’ve promised her family that I will personally represent them with every part of the process. It will be a long and arduous journey for them, but one that has become possible for the first time since they arrived in the US escaping violence and poverty 25 years ago.

I am eternally grateful for the Accreditation and Recognition Program, and to the IRC, for the gift of being able to give back to a family who has shaped me into who I am, and to serve other families like them.

Brianna Greer

*Name changed for privacy

One of our clients recently paid us the highest compliment ever. He said, “I love coming to the IRC. And even though my case is done, I count the days until I can come back!” This former client, now an “alumnus” of the IRC experience, is in our hearts forever. In his beloved home country, he was tortured, kidnapped and beaten for his beliefs. His story, his passion and his fierce love for his family caused this client to make an indelible mark on us.

Last month, we accompanied a non-verbal, non-ambulatory client to the embassy and advocated for his legal efficacy. The client exhibited his strength, his personal pride and his ability to persevere, not even willing for anyone to push his wheelchair and we couldn’t help but be blown away by him. Despite the many communication barriers, he was able to share his gratitude, kindness and hope to our staff.

This month we had a young lady come to us needing Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) before she turned 21 and became ineligible for this legal remedy. Knowing that time was of the essence, we called in a former board member and her legal team to help us turn this case around in record time. And it happened! We are so proud of her! So young, so brave, so ready to follow her dreams and create a better life for herself and her family. 

The bottomline is this - at the IRC, we do not see ourselves as changing lives, rather, we are being changed by the extraordinary people who walk through our doors every day.

-Jean Grant, Director of Development & Strategic Partnerships

Hey guys! It’s Lily here to give you a little taste of what an average day at the IRC looks like as a Development and Legal intern. Today I arrived at the office with my pastry and coffee ready to work. I first visited with the legal team and then received assignments from different members according to what was needed from me today. Everytime I get the opportunity to fill out a new type of application, waiver, or benefit, I get to learn something new! Today the learning curve was how to file an N-400 for a client that has gone by multiple different names on their various legal documents. 

After working on that case, I began to help Stephanie Perlat with another form, when suddenly we learned from Rosa Ramirez that a client at the IRC needed help! He had made it all the way to his immigration interview, studied hard and passed all of the questions, when he was told that he needed to set up an IRS payment plan. Unfortunately this meant that the legal staff needed to all start over. After the failed interview, he had been unsuccessfully trying to set up the plan. Rosa told me that he would be coming in 5 minutes, and asked me to help him create an IRS payment plan! No one in the office had ever set one up before but luckily the APU  social work  intern Mayrely was able to find some information to help me out. 

After figuring out how to navigate the website and create an account, we then waited on hold with the IRS. Almost 2.5 hours later he was finally able to get a payment plan in place! After a quick high-five, he left the office and we continued to work on his naturalization paperwork. 

My favorite thing about the amazing staff at the Immigration Resource Center is the way in which each staff member truly cares for each person who walks through the door. The IRC is not a legal clinic, but truly a resource center! When I first started interning here I was told that here at the IRC “it’s all about love”. It might sound cliche but, week after week, I have found that love permeates every aspect of the work here. Whether it be sitting with someone on the phone with someone for an hour, buying diapers, helping people feed or house their families or, of course, helping clients receive legal counsel, the IRC strives to meet the needs of the whole person. I am so grateful to have been able to learn from Jean, Jonathan, Rosa, Stephanie, Bree, Gabby, and Samantha: people who really, truly care. 

A client, whom we will call Benjamin, called us desperately looking for an appointment for a DACA renewal. Given the large need in our community, the organization where he normally went for his renewal was not able to help with his renewal. He learned about our organization from a friend and decided to give us a call. Given the uncertainty with the DACA program, our office does everything we can to assist with any DACA renewals that come through the door. We were able to help Benjamin file his DACA renewal the following day and he was very grateful. We were also able to share insight about the Advance Parole process available to DACA recipients and he was taken aback by the information we were able to provide. The following was an email he sent after being notified that his application was mailed out: “Thank you so much for your help! I can’t thank you enough. The work you and your colleagues do is so important and is changing LIVES.” Thank you, dear reader, for your continued financial support, which helps the IRCSGV provide quality care to members of our community.

From the desk of

Stephanie Peralta,

Senior Paralegal

Immigration Resource Center of San Gabriel Valley

Prima Facie is a latin term meaning "on its face" or "at first look." In the immigration legal world, it's an important status determination for Violence Against Women Act or *VAWA cases, and often the first glimpse of hope for abused spouses who have applied for the VAWA program. While it's not the final case decision, Prima Facie Determination is a conditional approval that gives petitioners a work permit, as well as eligibility to receive benefits like Medi-Cal, CalWorks and food assistance programs. Vital resources that provide hope, help and dignity on their immigration journey.

I recently let a VAWA client know that she was granted Prima Facie, and this was her response: 

"Muchas gracias por todo el esfuerzo que hace día a día al ayudarnos y mantenernos al tiempo de todo muchas gracias Y estoy feliz también con la noticia. Y espero con entusiasmo que lleguen los demás documentos con ayuda y fe aprobados."

English translation: "Thank you very much for all the effort you do day by day in helping us and keeping us up to date with everything. Thank you so much And I am happy with the news. And I am eagerly waiting for the other documents to arrive, with help and faith, approved."

Bree Salthouse
DOJ Accredited Representative | Representante Reconocida por el Departamento de Justicia

*The original Violence Against Women Act, passed in 1994 and authored by then-Senator Joseph R. Biden, was the first federal legislation acknowledging domestic violence and sexual assault as crimes and provided federal resources to encourage community-coordinated responses to combating violence against women. 

VAWA was reauthorized by bipartisan majorities in Congress in 2000 as part of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (H.R. 3244), and again in December 2005, and signed by President George W. Bush. In 2022, President Biden signed into law the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022, bipartisan legislation passed by Congress as part of the Omnibus appropriations package.

The work of the Immigration Resource Center of San Gabriel Valley (IRCSGV/IRC) is done en conjunto—in collaboration with—many volunteers, community partners and skilled attorneys. As a result, the IRC has created a network (far bigger than originally imagined) of trusted practitioners that provide comprehensive services to our immigrant neighbors with dignity, empathy, compassion and diligence.

One of the amazing attorneys that we get to work en conjunto with is attorney and former board member, Alma Puente and her associate, attorney Dulce Velazquez.It was thanks to their swift and diligent work that Nicolasa (not her real name), a 20 year old woman who was formally without immigration status, was able to receive Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJS) status. Nicolasa had come to the United States after tragically losing her mother and when she arrived in the United States, her father also passed away.

Before coming to the IRC, Nicolasa had seen an immigration attorney who promised to help her but was charging her thousands of dollars while nothing of substance was ever done with her case. Looking for help, Nicolasa was recommended by a friend to the IRC.

When Nicolasa came to the IRC, the legal team recognized that she was a candidate to apply for SIJS and had not applied for that specific relief before. We referred Nicolasa to attorney Puente’s office who personally met with Nicolasa who was under the time constraint of getting her case solved before aging out at 21. Alma and her team were able to find a way to expedite the case in order for Nicolasa to be served within the deadline.

The swift referral and having a network of trusted immigration attorneys made it possible for Nicolasa to get the help needed, rin the nick of time. For that, we are so, so thankful for the continued work and diligence of our friends, Alma Puente and Dulce Velazquez.

Art Credit: Anna Alvarado

Adriana, a recipient of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from El Salvador, first came to the United States 30 years ago, and has since raised two children. As a TPS recipient, she faced uncertainty about her ability to stay in the US permanently, as the inclusion of El Salvador on the list of protected countries became a political flashpoint over the last few years. So she saved up what money she could to apply for permanent residency and avoided taking personal trips, even to see her mother, who had been separated from her for 30 years.

Adriana received devastating news - her mother had suffered a stroke, and began receiving hospice care. As a recipient of TPS, Adriana has the right to travel to see her mother, but only upon filing a formal application with USCIS, which normally would take months that Adriana wasn't sure her mother had. Adriana had had one last chance to say goodbye.

We worked to request an emergency appointment from USCIS, gathering what documents the family had available on short notice, and met with Adriana and her family at the downtown USCIS office. The outcome of our request would be uncertain - despite Adriana's best efforts, they were unable to obtain any medical records showing evidence of a stroke. After several hours of waiting, we met with an officer to explain the situation, advocating for USCIS to consider the situation a medical emergency, showing letters and pictures and explaining the circumstances in which crucial documents were missing. Thankfully, the officer was understanding, and Adriana was able to purchase a plane ticket that day to reunite with her mother.

Our office was thankful to be able to be part of this process of family reunion, and continues to work to ensure that Adriana will be able to have the right to stay reunited with her daughters in the US so that her cycle of generational trauma will be broken.

Mikhail, a Russian architect who wanted to see his country become more democratic and free, spent much of his youth supporting politicians who opposed Putin's autocratic regime. To his horror, he watched as Russia launched an attack against its neighbor in February of this year, plunging the entire region into violence and chaos. Mikhail, together with his wife and young son, decided to flee as quickly as possible to protect his family, before he was forced to fight in a war that he did not believe in.

It took all of their life savings to leave, as they found themselves faced with closed border after closed border. The family was able to make their way to Turkey, where they found themselves unable to seek asylum, then to Mexico, where they presented themselves at the U.S. border, only to be turned away without their asylum claims being heard, due to ongoing restrictions under Title 42. Left with only dangerous choices, the family made the decision to swim across the Rio Grande River, before finally being able to apply for asylum due to their physical presence inside the U.S.

The IRC was connected to Mikhail through word-of-mouth, as he received assistance from various churches once he entered the US. We provided support with referrals to appropriate asylum agencies in Los Angeles, as well as our network of supporters to help Mikhail find work as an architect. Even when our ability to provide direct legal assistance is limited, the IRC hopes to provide as much holistic care as possible, connecting immigrants to resources that they need to be able to thrive in their new homes.

Joseph is from Sudan, a beautiful country, riddled with political and social unrest. Joseph's country has gone through several heartbreaking wars in the past decades, including civil conflicts. In the mid 2010s, Joseph fled, as his future as a teenage boy was unknown.

Another country from the SWANA* region took Joseph in as a refugee, where he perfected his Sudanese-accented Arabic and worked for a rental car company. But racism and lack of economic opportunity drove him to seek continued refuge next in the United States, where he has a nephew, cousins, and an uncle.

After years of waiting, Joseph was awarded refugee status and allowed to enter the United States. He came to the U.S. at the end of 2021, adjusting to a new way of life and visiting his relatives. Soon, bills piled up. He works long hours as a security guard to make ends meet and support his family back home.

Joseph commuted from deep in the Inland Empire to the IRC because services out east were all at capacity. He needed help applying for his green card. We were able to churn out his case in less than two months. This is what he had to say upon news that we filed his case:

"I feel great and happy I appreciate you a lot Bree for helping me. Thank you so much. I'm feeling Good. I wish you have a good day."

*SWANA stands for South West Asia + North Africa, a less colonial way to refer to the diverse geographical region more commonly known as the Middle East + North Africa (MENA).

- SWANA Ancestral Hub. Map of the SWANA region here.

A client who we will call Gerardo utilized our services to gain his U.S. citizenship in 2020. In 2021, he requested our aid again, this time for his aging parents. Gerardo is middle-aged with both adult and young children. Like many in the "sandwich generation" Gerardo is taking care of both children and aging parents. He is 1 of 7 children. Five of the 7 live in the United States. As their parents reach their upper 80s, Gerardo and his siblings want them to be able to remain in the United States in order to be with and care for them. Last week, we submitted the paperwork to request permanent residence for Gerardo's parents. Jonathan has also given Gerardo a consultation for options to bring his wife and youngest children to the U.S. In total, the IRC was able to help 3 generations in this family. We were able to strengthen our clients' ties to the U.S. along with their hope for family unity.

Jaime, an indigenous community organizer from a tribe in Jalisco, Mexico, worked to preserve and protect his ancestral agricultural lands, attempting to access the formal legal systems of Mexico to obtain restitution for lands illegally taken from his tribe. However, corrupt municipal government officials and police with a vested interest in the land threatened Jaime, culminating in a kidnapping and a violent beating. Jaime was brave enough to work with international journalists and human rights monitors to make sure his story was heard, but his immediate family became endangered and they decided to flee for their safety.

Jaime was able to successfully receive political asylum in the U.S., a difficult form of relief to obtain for Mexican nationals. After receiving asylum, he came to the IRC for assistance in helping him and his family with obtaining permanent residency, so that he could continue to stay in the U.S.  Just this last week, we received notice that he was approved! The legal staff of the IRC appreciates the bravery of indigenous activists like Jaime, and hopes to continue to serve underrepresented communities that face linguistic and financial barriers to immigration freedom.

This week, we highlight our partnership with a local nonprofit, Door of Hope, located in Pasadena. Door of Hope fights to prevent homelessness in families by providing shelter and therapy. Their target demographic frequently intersects with the IRC, as many of their most vulnerable clients face immigration legal issues. Recently, we partnered with Door of Hope to support an undocumented minor and her single mother. Door of Hope was able to provide housing and access a grant that allowed them to cover over $1,000 in required filing fees for the minor to receive her permanent residency, while the IRC was able to provide legal services for the family to represent them before USCIS.

Together, the IRC and Door of Hope were able to provide all resources necessary for this family in the most vulnerable of situations - including homelessness. It was a privilege and an honor to help an undocumented minor to apply for permanent residence and receive the protection for her and her mother to remain safely in the United States. Thank you for your support of our work. It really does make a difference!

The IRC has been assisting an Afghan family that has been trying to reunite ever since the withdrawal of the U.S. and the subsequent fall of the Afghan government. Several members of the family reside in the U.S. and have previously served as interpreters, law enforcement, and employees of the U.N., before moving to the United States and becoming permanent residents. However, due to the long wait times required by immigration law, they had to leave behind their parents and 2 minor siblings, hoping that they could eventually reunite. Their situation became urgent when the Taliban took control of their city, Kabul, and they were forced to go into hiding, having previously received death threats from the Taliban due to their children's assistance to the U.S. We filed emergency requests for them to be evacuated alongside the other allies and family members, and after being denied by the Department of State, we filed emergency requests for humanitarian parole, hoping that the family could somehow escape the country, even though all land borders were now closed to them.

With great disappointment, almost a full year after sending an emergency request for humanitarian parole to the U.S. government, we finally received an answer - the government does not think that the family is in a dire enough situation to warrant parole. This is the experience of around 46,000 other applicants who filed for humanitarian parole from Afghanistan, who are experiencing a denial rate of approximately 95%. We are disappointed that USCIS has chosen to use its vast discretionary powers and administrative resources to deny assistance to family members of Afghan allies who have sacrificed so much to advance the interests of the U.S.

We are not giving up, however, and will continue to pursue creative options to try to reunite the family through alternate means. We thank you for your financial assistance - without which this family would not be able to pursue any legal assistance whatsoever, as all their disposable income is being used to help their family members still in Afghanistan survive and remain in hiding.

In June, the IRC provided two legal clinics for our immigrant neighbors. The first clinic was on June 11 at Agua de Vida church in Fontana, where our two legal representatives, Bree and Rosa, delivered a presentation about critical changes in immigration policy, and informed them of their rights, while Ivy, our client experience coordinator helped facilitate for clients to receive a one-on-one free legal consultation. Together with our volunteers, Sergio Fernandez (pro bono attorney) and Marina Sorace-Ferreyro (new IRC board member), we were able to assist 16 individuals with timely and relevant legal counsel.

On June 18, we partnered with our friends at Mennonite Central Committee at the Misión Cristiana Fe y Compasión church in Arleta. We provided 10 immigrant neighbors with one-on-one free legal consultations!

It is an integral part of the IRC's mission to provide educational workshops and free legal consultation clinics for communities that are underserved and have difficulty accessing legal services, especially in partnership with organizations that share our mission.

-Jonathan Fung, Director of Legal Services

If you would like to volunteer to assist with future clinics, please email Jonathan at jfung@ircsgv.org

On April 28 and April 29th I had the privilege of representing the Immigration Resource Center at the New Americans Campaign Conference in Jersey City, New Jersey. The conference was held at the Historic Central Railroad Terminal of New Jersey. While at the conference, it was not lost on any of the attendees that we were congregated in a place where nearly 10.5 million immigrants came through to start their new lives after they were processed at Ellis Island. While many of the California, Texas, and Florida representatives (like myself) were freezing, the anticipation of new possibilities was still tangible in the air of the historic building. 

The New Americans Campaign (NAC), which is led by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), is a network of immigration nonprofits, community leaders, immigration legal providers, and faith-based organizations to help Legal Permanent Residents (also known as Green Card holders) to apply to become U.S. Citizens. As the person who oversees a lot of our Naturalization applications, it was wonderful to meet so many practitioners and immigration advocates across the U.S. and both share knowledge and receive tips on how to better our practices. There were workshops on how to help fill out fee waivers, how to advocate for clients with physical and/or intellectual disabilities, how to manage Naturalization Workshops virtually, what is needed to help create a Naturalization Department within an organization, how to partner with state and local municipalities to support Naturalization, and much more. 

While speaking to other practitioners, I observed that as an organization we have been able to take on cases that other non-profit organizations would have referred out and have been thankful for the opportunity to see cases through, like in the case of Olivia and of Cleotilde (whose stories we previously shared). We get to do what we do because of you, dear reader. Thank you for your continued support, either with your time (by way of sharing information about our organization), your talent (volunteering, interpreting) and your treasure (financial donations), which makes all of what we do a possibility.

-Rosa Ramirez

On April 25, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security created a pathway for US residents and institutions to sponsor Ukrainian refugees and allow them to enter the US, under what is known as "parole". This has created a safe pathway that will allow Ukrainians to seek asylum in the US without having to make the journey to the US-Mexico Border, which was the only pathway available previously for Ukrainians who did not already have access to a visa. The IRC has already assisted with the review of one application for parole and has seen it granted this Monday! The process to receive parole is so far proving to be incredibly quick, taking less than a week to receive a decision.

Applying for the program is straightforward - an online application is filled out and financial documents are uploaded. There are no published guidelines for what constitutes the minimum amount of financial assets needed to be a sponsor, but generally, the US government would like the sponsor to be able to meet the Ukrainian refugee at the airport, transport them, and assist them with settling in the US through housing and work opportunities.

If you are interested in supporting Ukrainians who would like to come to the US, please see the following website for additional details: https://www.dhs.gov/ukraine. To support the work of the IRC, go to ircsgv.org/donate. Thank you!

-Jonathan Fung, Director of Legal Services